TR LINK POSTED! - 14 ADRs PLUS F & W!? Our 10th Anniversary Pig-Out! An Oct 2013 PTR

[Nermel9]

I can't wait to hear how you liked Sanaa, my sister and I were going to try it in Feb. but she ended up canceling, after I got all excited to try it!

Just waiting for another update here...

(Although I can't talk, when was the last time I updated my TR! )

 

[Simba22]

Trust me, I know what you mean about life being crazy. We've had five weddings (including our son's), a funeral, my mother receiving news that my father's pension company is bankrupt and NOT being able to send her checks anymore and figuring out how she is going to live on $980 a month less when she can't manage now, etc. And I leave next week.

I so wanted to get my TR done before I go and still hope too. My PTR is moving, but not as quickly as it should.

Ugh Kathy that's awful! I feel so terrible for senior citizens. I don't know how they survive on social security alone, I really don't.

I'm excited for your trip though!!!! You guys are gonna have a great time! Think of it as your reward for all the stress you've been dealing with!

I can't wait to hear how you liked Sanaa, my sister and I were going to try it in Feb. but she ended up canceling, after I got all excited to try it!

Just waiting for another update here...

(Although I can't talk, when was the last time I updated my TR! )

I'm really excited to try so many new places this year! We actually made a dining related decision last night that I'm kind of excited about, so if I ever get time to actually do an update I'll share!

Hopefully today.....

 

[Simba22]

So I'm finally back with an update and rather than dwell on all the junk that's been preventing me from getting to it, let's just get to it!

Our fourth day will be Thursday Oct 17 and I anticipate it being bittersweet.

Today is the day we check out of AKV and head over to the BWV!

We opted to make this a Non-Park Day, so we'll get up and finish packing up our stuff, then head downstairs to deliver our bags to Guest Services for transportation to the BWV.

Then we'll have breakfast!



(courtesy of mousetalestravel.com)


We absolutely LOVE Boma's breakfast but it's such a pain to get to first thing in the morning (because we don't rent a car), that we haven't been there in a few trips (since 2009!)

I really wanted to take advantage of staying at AKV so I'm glad that I was able to get in two restaurants!

After breakfast, we'll wander around the resort and take a million and a half pictures, maybe go for a swim (technically we'll be checked out but shh!), then either head to DTD for a while or just head to our new home......




Either way, we won't staying there for long because we'll be heading out to....




And I'm super excited because we have a dinner reservation to get to!!








So so so excited to eat here! I still can't believe I ever GOT a reservation here! I was so nervous I wouldn't get one!


So I'll stop here for now! I'll try to do another one tonight or tomorrow!

 

[KatMark]

Ali, what wonderful plans. We love Boma and we're not doing it this trip or our December trip.

I'll be very anxious to hear how you like Boardwalk Villas as we'll be there in December.

for getting an ADR at Be Our Guest. I've eaten there twice and will be eating there again on Friday night.

How fun that you are going to the Halloween Party. Are you dressing up?

 

[Simba22]

Ali, what wonderful plans. We love Boma and we're not doing it this trip or our December trip.

I'll be very anxious to hear how you like Boardwalk Villas as we'll be there in December.

for getting an ADR at Be Our Guest. I've eaten there twice and will be eating there again on Friday night.

How fun that you are going to the Halloween Party. Are you dressing up?

It's been a long while since we've been to Boma and I'm glad we'll be able to get there again! So yummy!

I'm excited for the BWV specifically because it's so close to Epcot, but it's never been on my list of "must do" resorts so I'm still not sold on it! I'm sure I'll love it once I'm there!

Not for this one but we have tickets for two other parties so I'm sure we will dress up for one of them. No plans for costumes yet though.

 

[Nermel9]

Yay Boma!! I love that place for breakfast, I really want to try it for dinner someday too, but it makes me nervous!

I can't believe you're staying in the Boardwalk. Jealous.

I'm so sad I can't go to MNSSHP this year. Jack and Sally will be there!!! AHHHH that makes me so sad!!! I can't deal with this anymore!!!

 

[Simba22]

Yay Boma!! I love that place for breakfast, I really want to try it for dinner someday too, but it makes me nervous!

I can't believe you're staying in the Boardwalk. Jealous.

I'm so sad I can't go to MNSSHP this year. Jack and Sally will be there!!! AHHHH that makes me so sad!!! I can't deal with this anymore!!!

It makes me feel bad to be so excited!! LOL Things will work out for you! One way or another, I know it!

STILL not 100% sold on the BWV! I just want to get there already and see if I love it or not! Is there weird!?

 

[Simba22]

For some reason, I was super-motivated today to get back on the proverbial bandwagon and did 3 miles on my bike after work today! I've only got 15lbs to go to reach my goal and I've got 60 days to do it! That's like, 2lbs a week! I am SO doing this!

So that's the good news. In slightly less better news, they fired one of the other customer service reps at my job on Thursday! There are only three of us to begin with and we take about 100 calls a day, each! To make it worse, she worked the whole day Thursday and had planned for Friday and Monday off for a little mini-vacation, and they fired her at 4pm on Thursday afternoon! Needless to say, work has been a nightmare with one less person.

OK, back to the fun stuff!

I forgot to go back and share the other two t-shirts I bought for this trip!

First, my Hello Kitty/Star Wars crossover:



And my Nightmare Before Christmas one!



So excited to wear them on our trip!!

OK so anyway - Plans for day 5!

We'll wake up on Friday morning and hop on a bus to....



Except we'll be making a slight detour via....


(courtesy of wdwlive)

To get to our first ever meal at....


(courtesy of allears)

Yup, I did it! I took the plunge and booked an ADR at the Grand Floridian! The breakfast menu looks so yummy and I'm really excited to give it a try!

After our breakfast, we'll monorail back to the MK for a few hours, before we monorail to the TTC, switch monorails, bust out our handy dandy Park Hoppers, and arrive at.....



Where we have dinner planned for....


(courtesy of allears)

Except, minus the Christmas lights.

Where I plan to have at least two margaritas.

At least

After dinner, we'll wander around for a good spot for Illuminations, probably with some sort of dessert in tow, and head back to BWV afterwards for some sleepy time.

Day 6:

On Saturday morning, we'll get up bright and early and get to....



Where we can hopefully get some FPs for TSMM before stopping for some breakfast (unless we eat at the Boardwalk Bakery before we leave in the morning).

My original plan was to hop to Epcot again for lunch at....


(courtesy of touringplans)

But I wanted to give ourselves more time at DHS so I changed lunch, to dinner!

Where I plan to have probably two or three of these:



Seriously...The Welsh Dragon.....

I tried to pretend that maybe we'll wander around the park for the rest of the night, but who am I kidding? I know I'll want to watch Illuminations again, because hey....it's Illuminations!

But maybe I'll surprise myself.... I love not having a plan!

 

[KatMark]

Love your shirts.

And the plans sound great. Be careful of the monorail and give yourself enough time. There have been two instances in the last three weeks of delays...one for 3 hours (they had to get the fire department to get people off) and an hour of sitting and not moving yesterday.

I'll be back when I get home in two weeks. Take care, and hope things get better at work.

 

[Simba22]

Love your shirts.

And the plans sound great. Be careful of the monorail and give yourself enough time. There have been two instances in the last three weeks of delays...one for 3 hours (they had to get the fire department to get people off) and an hour of sitting and not moving yesterday.

I'll be back when I get home in two weeks. Take care, and hope things get better at work.

Yikes! What the heck is going on with the Monorails?? I'll keep this in mind as our trip gets closer and see what the current situation is like! If they are still experiencing problems like that, we'll take the buses!

Have a wonderful trip, Kathy!!!

 

[Simba22]

Side Note: I love my WDW Countdown App but I would sure love it if they would update the pictures!

And it occurred to me yesterday that we moved in April and my DVC guy has our old address... Which means that DME has our old address as well... So I emailed him to make the change so that I can get my Mickey Mail without any problems!

So now that I'm onto the plans for Days 7 and 8.....

I made an ADR change!

On arrival day, we will no longer be having dinner at Bongos...

Because IT finally happened....

On Monday, August 26......

They finally.....

FINALLY......

FINALLY

Opened up ADRs for.....


(courtesy of disneyfoodblog.com)

SQUEEE!!!!

I wanted to go back to Cali Grill so badly, especially since now it's shiny and new with a new menu! And I was so afraid that they wouldn't open ADRs in time, or they wouldn't be accepting ADRs for October! So I called at 7am bright and early on Monday morning, held for 15 minutes, got in my car with my bluetooth headset ready to go so I could stay connected.....

And my cell phone dropped the call the second I left our parking lot.



I called back, and waited on hold for over half an hour. Literally hung up with Guest Services as I pulled into the parking lot at work, and HAD my ADR for 5:45 on Thursday Oct 24.

Then I was talking to my good friend Nermel9...who tells me I didn't have to wait on hold! I can make ADRs online at 6am!

But you need a Credit Card! You can't make ADRs with a credit card guarantee online! Right??

Then she says she just made her Cali Grill ADR online while she was talking to me! Apparently, the website now takes credit card guarantee ADRs, which I didn't know...but the My Disney Experience App does not. And since I was trying to use the App and not the website...well...you get the point.

So ADR booked I was all happy and excited! And then I remembered that we had the Halloween Party that night and I didn't want to go to dinner that late! We'd miss most of the party! So I went online and changed it to 5:00pm but that was the earliest I could get it.

So I came home tonight and did some scouring of my Passporter. And decided it would really be much better to not have any ADRs on our last night. Which meant putting Cali Grill elsewhere. So Bongos....sorry buddy...but you're outta there!

Maybe next time....

OK. So. Moving right along....

Day 7!

Sunday October 20th is a Resort Day!

We'll hang at the pool (maybe a quiet pool since the giant clown at the BWV main pool scares the bejesus outta me)....


(courtesy of mouseplanet.com)

wander around and take some pictures, and maybe go visit AoA to take some pictures there. I haven't decided yet.

I really wanted to go over to Fort Wilderness for horseback riding.... But they only do it twice a day... first thing in the morning or mid afternoon. On a resort day, I really don't want to get up early... but I also don't want to be sweltering on the back of a horse in the middle of the day, you know? Plus, since we don't rent a car... it's too much of a pain to try and get there in time. And once you get to FW, you then have to navigate your way through all of the internal bus stops. It just sounded too overwhelming for what was supposed to be a nice relaxing non-park day.

So around 3:30pm, we'll head out to the bus stop and get ready to go here:



Our non-park day, just became a park day! Dang! I was so close!

But alas, we have a Not So Scary Halloween Party to attend!

Oh, and we'll be eating dinner here:


(courtesy of mouseplanet.com)

I freaking LOVE The Plaza and we haven't eaten there in several years so I'm excited to go back finally!

Off to bed now! Woohoo for a three day weekend!!

 

[Nermel9]

Yay Cali Grill!!! I'm so glad it's finally open again, it seems like it's been closed forever! I just hope it's as good as it was, and that not too many things have changed!

If you're going to MNSSHP I wouldn't bother going all the way to FW, it's such a pain, even with a car! Although I guess you could always take a bus over there, then take a boat over to MK, but even that is kind of a pain. I love FW though, someday I'm staying in one of those cabins for Christmas and decorating it with tons of Christmas lights!

So jealous you're going to MNSSHP. Jealous of this whole trip, actually! I need to go to Disney!!!!

 

[courtneybelle]

I'm on board now!!

I have never stayed at the Boardwalk (or any deluxe resort that doesn't have the initials OKW, for that matter) but I LOVE the area. Definitely perfect for Food and Wine! Three Halloween parties are going to be so much fun! I definitely want to go at some point, it's just not possible with my school schedule right now. So I must live vicariously through TRs

Sorry about all the job/life stress! That's rough :group hug: Disney will definitely make everything seem a little brighter, though.

LE CELLIER! I dream of eating there. One day...

We haven't done BOG dinner yet, but we've had the lunch and it's fantastic!

I can't wait to hear more!

 

[Simba22]

Yay Cali Grill!!! I'm so glad it's finally open again, it seems like it's been closed forever! I just hope it's as good as it was, and that not too many things have changed!

If you're going to MNSSHP I wouldn't bother going all the way to FW, it's such a pain, even with a car! Although I guess you could always take a bus over there, then take a boat over to MK, but even that is kind of a pain. I love FW though, someday I'm staying in one of those cabins for Christmas and decorating it with tons of Christmas lights!

So jealous you're going to MNSSHP. Jealous of this whole trip, actually! I need to go to Disney!!!!

I'm really looking forward to the new option where the chef basically makes something for you that's not necessarily a menu option. I can't remember what it's called... But I really like sushi so I'd be willing to try whatever they want to give me! I'm hoping for a window seat this time so we can enjoy the view!

Yeah, if we were staying at FW it would be different. But just getting there is going to be a hassle so we'll skip it this year! I've thought about staying in a cabin before but it seems like so much unnecessary space! But maybe some day we'll give it a try!

WHEN you go in December, I'll be jealous of you!

I'm on board now!!

I have never stayed at the Boardwalk (or any deluxe resort that doesn't have the initials OKW, for that matter) but I LOVE the area. Definitely perfect for Food and Wine! Three Halloween parties are going to be so much fun! I definitely want to go at some point, it's just not possible with my school schedule right now. So I must live vicariously through TRs

Sorry about all the job/life stress! That's rough :group hug: Disney will definitely make everything seem a little brighter, though.

LE CELLIER! I dream of eating there. One day...

We haven't done BOG dinner yet, but we've had the lunch and it's fantastic!

I can't wait to hear more!

Courtney! Thank you SO much for joining! It's so nice to hear from followers! I know I usually have a lot of lurkers but it's nice to get feedback!

My boyfriend thinks it's crazy to read about other people's WDW trips but I like to live through them too! Especially the people who go at a different time of year! I like to read about their experiences with different events!

 

[KatMark]

for getting your Cali Grill ADR! We have never eaten there; one of these days we will give it a try (especially since we seem to be on a trend of trying new places the last two years--some great, some failures).

LOVE the Plaza as you know and had a great meal there two weeks ago today.

I'm not an Illuminations fan at all (in fact, we saw no nighttime shows this trip), but your plans for that sound great.

Rose & Crown is back at the top of our list...one of the best meals this trip.

 

[Simba22]

for getting your Cali Grill ADR! We have never eaten there; one of these days we will give it a try (especially since we seem to be on a trend of trying new places the last two years--some great, some failures).

LOVE the Plaza as you know and had a great meal there two weeks ago today.

I'm not an Illuminations fan at all (in fact, we saw no nighttime shows this trip), but your plans for that sound great.

Rose & Crown is back at the top of our list...one of the best meals this trip.

Welcome back, Kathy!

You definitely need to try Cali Grill! I am so glad we did! We are trying a lot of new restaurants this year and I hope I have good experiences with all of them! But there are so many restaurants that we already know we like, it makes ADR scheduling very difficult! As it is, I keep looking at our plans wondering where I can fit in Kona Cafe! Rose & Crown is one of my favorites, definitely! I think I look forward to that one the most!

Funny enough, I'm not a fan of Wishes so no judgments here!

 

[IheartDDuck]

F&W PTR?! I'm so here! I'm gonna go get caught up.

 

[Simba22]

F&W PTR?! I'm so here! I'm gonna go get caught up.

Hi Danielle!! Thank you so much for hopping over!

 

[IheartDDuck]

All right, I'm getting all caught up!

Split stay sounds perfect! I do like the Boardwalk. It's not my absolute favorite, I prefer the Beach Club. But I adore the Epcot resort area, so if I can't do Beach Club, Boardwalk will definitely do!

I agree with Park Hoppers, especially if you want to take full advantage of F&W.

I agree! What's not to love about being a stay at home pet mom? I would find myself in a situation similar to yours I think. Not wanting to go back.

My pup has issues with other dogs too. She's sweet, but I would never be able to have her in an apartment. She's definitely mildly aggressive towards any other animals. I feel your pain there.

That is terrible what was going on with your job and the time off!

I indeed do watch Once Upon a Time. I'm excited for it to come back soon!

I always have nighttime pictures too! I love them though.

Mmmmm. Beaches and Cream. So so yummy. I haven't been there since they changed the menu. But the No Way Jose is incredible! My favorite dessert.

Wow. That's insane with your work. 100 plus calls a day in nuts. We've always tried to make sure our reps don't take that many calls. It's way to stressful.

Hahahaha. That Kitty Jawa shirt is epic.

Yay, California Grill! In all my years, I have not eaten there. Someday. Someday.

 

[Simba22]

All right, I'm getting all caught up!

Split stay sounds perfect! I do like the Boardwalk. It's not my absolute favorite, I prefer the Beach Club. But I adore the Epcot resort area, so if I can't do Beach Club, Boardwalk will definitely do!

That's kinda how I saw it! I wanted Beach Club but I went with whatever we could book at 11 months out! I didn't want to miss out on being in that area just because I was being picky, you know? And my cousins have stayed at the BW before and really liked it. Plus, there's Jellyrolls to consider! We had so much fun there last year!

I agree with Park Hoppers, especially if you want to take full advantage of F&W.

The first time we went we had them and felt like we had to rush from park to park to get our money's worth out of them, you know? But now that we've been several times, I think we can afford to skip around! Plus, there is just so much good food in Epcot! If I could move there and eat dinner in Epcot every night for the rest of my life, I would so happy!

I agree! What's not to love about being a stay at home pet mom? I would find myself in a situation similar to yours I think. Not wanting to go back.

My pup has issues with other dogs too. She's sweet, but I would never be able to have her in an apartment. She's definitely mildly aggressive towards any other animals. I feel your pain there.

That is terrible what was going on with your job and the time off!

Seriously, going back to work was the hardest thing ever! And I was only off for FOUR MONTHS! I can't imagine these people going back to work after being unemployed for years! This woman we just hired has been stay-at-home for FIFTEEN YEARS!

The dog thing bothers me so much! She was always so good but she was part of a "pack" with my dad's dogs. Their older one passed away at the beginning of the year and he was having trouble walking and stuff, so Parsley (that's my dog, in case I never mentioned it) literally has not been around other dogs in over a year! And I'm afraid to try and reintegrate her without help but behaviorists are expensive! My dad just got two puppies though, plus he has another older dog still so we're going to try bringing Parsley into the mix next weekend. She's so good about everything else but other dogs (and small animals!)...not so much! It makes me so upset!

We're leaving for Florida in 35 days and my boss' boss still hasn't given me back and approval in writing. I swear she's holding it on purpose...either waiting until the day before we leave to give it to me, to make sure I don't call out beforehand... or waiting for me to come BACK so they can fire me for going without an approval. Honestly...I hope it's the latter.

I indeed do watch Once Upon a Time. I'm excited for it to come back soon!

I always have nighttime pictures too! I love them though.

I can't wait for OUAT! I was so not interested in it at first but we cut our cable off at the beginning of the summer because our rent went up and we just couldn't afford it... so we started watching it and became immediately addicted. We watched the whole first season in like 3 or 4 days.

The nighttime pics really capture the essence of WDW, to me. Like, the place just feels more magical to me!

Mmmmm. Beaches and Cream. So so yummy. I haven't been there since they changed the menu. But the No Way Jose is incredible! My favorite dessert.

We've NEVER been there so I won't miss anything, I guess! The No Way Jose is what made me WANT to go, though! But Lumar is lactose intolerant and I can't eat a whole sundae myself so...we'll see what happens!

Wow. That's insane with your work. 100 plus calls a day in nuts. We've always tried to make sure our reps don't take that many calls. It's way to stressful.

It's terrible. Now that we have a 4th person it might not be so bad...but since one of them is the woman I mentioned earlier who hasn't worked in 15 years...I'm not holding my breath for a noticeable change. She looked like a deer in headlights when she sat with me her first day and watched me work. She told me I'm the fastest typer she's ever seen and I only type about 55wpm. That's not that fast, is it???

Hahahaha. That Kitty Jawa shirt is epic.

Isn't it?! I can't wait to wear all my new shirts!! And I bought new capris today! Can't wait to wear those too!

Yay, California Grill! In all my years, I have not eaten there. Someday. Someday.

We loved it there! If you like sushi, definitely go that route! But a few people in our party had other items and also REALLY enjoyed them. Plus you get to ride in the super secret elevator that ONLY California Grill guests get to ride in! I mean, that's pretty cool, right!?