UPDATE 7/16 TR Link Posted! The "I-Must-Be-Crazy" PTR - July 2012

[Nermel9]

Happy New Year! Can't wait to hear about your ADRs soon! If we go in September when I'm thinking of going, I can't make ADR's til the end of March!!! AHHHH!! I'm going CRAZY with no freakin Disney trip to plan right now!

 

[Simba22]

Happy New Year! Can't wait to hear about your ADRs soon! If we go in September when I'm thinking of going, I can't make ADR's til the end of March!!! AHHHH!! I'm going CRAZY with no freakin Disney trip to plan right now!

I can't WAIT to make ADRs! I was actually just about to post a small update about them.....

 

[Simba22]

Today is January 1, 2012 and I can officially say...

WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD THIS YEAR!!!!!

190 days to go! Which means in 10 days I can FINALLY book my ADRs!

Before we get into ADRs, here's a Recap of the basics:

When: Monday July 9 - Monday July 16, 2012
Where: Old Key West
Who: Me & Lumar
My sister Steph and her BF Rob
My cousin Toni and her fiance, Josh
(in case you missed it, they got engaged on Christmas Day! )
My brother Mike
My cousin Tommy

I was looking at the EMH schedule this morning, and really debating on doing doing Park Hoppers this year... It seems that Epcot and MK only have PM EMH on the night's we're schedule to be in another park...but rearranging the schedule just doesn't work for what we want to do.

For example, I want our first day to be at MK...Josh has never been to Disney World and it's been several years since my sister, and my cousins have been, and since MK is "the most magical" park, I want that to be the first place we go...but Epcot has PM EMH that day... And on our 2nd Epcot day, MK has PM EMH. So I'm thinking that we will probably end up doing Park Hoppers, but because of financial constraints, I don't know if the whole group will do that, or just some of us.

So now the fun part! First, there is a recap of the ADRs I plan to make in TEN DAYS!! I'm actually really excited because making the decisions on where to eat was really a group effort!


July 9 - Arrival Day:
Dinner at T-Rex

July 10: Magic Kingdom
Breakfast at Crystal Palace
Dinner at The Wave

July 11: Epcot
Breakfast at Ohana (this is actually new - my brother requested it the other day over Christmas dinner )
Dinner at Rose & Crown

July 12: Animal Kingdom
As a group, we actually have no ADRs for this day, however, Toni and Josh have told me that they want to take one night and go to dinner, just the two of them. I'm assuming it will probably be this night and the rest of us will probably head to DTD and eat QS wherever we want.

July 13: Hollywood Studios
Lunch at Captain's Grill

July 14: Epcot
Dinner at San Angel Inn

July 15: Magic Kingdom
Dinner at Ohana


I've been trying to read up as much as I can on the new Credit Card Guarantee, and the cancellation policy. Apparently, this policy will only effect our ADRs at Ohana and Crystal Palace. I've read that they are still working out some kinks and people who check-in even just 5 minutes late are still being charged the cancellation fee. But I know that Disney is working to allow a grace period for late check-ins. Honestly, I'm not all that worried about it. If they charge me incorrectly, big whoop. I call and get a credit. And if people end up deciding NOT to come, then they owe me $10. Although I can't imagine that being the case.

In Non-Disney related news, I was officially given my 60 days notice last Tuesday. My last day at my job will be March 2nd. I'll be able to collect unemployment for, what? 26 weeks? Which will put me at the end of July..and I'm hoping to be able to supplement that with some pet-sitting jobs. I really don't want to have to go back to work right away...having the spring/summer off would be a dream...AND I won't have to worry about taking time off for our trip!

 

[KatMark]

Today is January 1, 2012 and I can officially say...

WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD THIS YEAR!!!!!

190 days to go! Which means in 10 days I can FINALLY book my ADRs!

Before we get into ADRs, here's a Recap of the basics:

When: Monday July 9 - Monday July 16, 2012
Where: Old Key West
Who: Me & Lumar
My sister Steph and her BF Rob
My cousin Toni and her fiance, Josh
(in case you missed it, they got engaged on Christmas Day! )
My brother Mike
My cousin Tommy

I was looking at the EMH schedule this morning, and really debating on doing doing Park Hoppers this year... It seems that Epcot and MK only have PM EMH on the night's we're schedule to be in another park...but rearranging the schedule just doesn't work for what we want to do.

For example, I want our first day to be at MK...Josh has never been to Disney World and it's been several years since my sister, and my cousins have been, and since MK is "the most magical" park, I want that to be the first place we go...but Epcot has PM EMH that day... And on our 2nd Epcot day, MK has PM EMH. So I'm thinking that we will probably end up doing Park Hoppers, but because of financial constraints, I don't know if the whole group will do that, or just some of us.

So now the fun part! First, there is a recap of the ADRs I plan to make in TEN DAYS!! I'm actually really excited because making the decisions on where to eat was really a group effort!


July 9 - Arrival Day:
Dinner at T-Rex Never been

July 10: Magic Kingdom
Breakfast at Crystal Palace Love this place for breakfast
Dinner at The Wave Can't wait to hear about this

July 11: Epcot
Breakfast at Ohana (this is actually new - my brother requested it the other day over Christmas dinner ) Haven't been since it was Minnie's Menehue breakfast
Dinner at Rose & Crown Love this place

July 12: Animal Kingdom
As a group, we actually have no ADRs for this day, however, Toni and Josh have told me that they want to take one night and go to dinner, just the two of them. I'm assuming it will probably be this night and the rest of us will probably head to DTD and eat QS wherever we want. Go to Earl of Sandwich

July 13: Hollywood Studios
Lunch at Captain's Grill We cancelled this and switched it to Olivia's Cafe, so I want to know what you think of it

July 14: Epcot
Dinner at San Angel Inn Never done...I don't eat Mexican

July 15: Magic Kingdom
Dinner at Ohana Keep wanting to try this but we never seem to find the time for it.


I've been trying to read up as much as I can on the new Credit Card Guarantee, and the cancellation policy. Apparently, this policy will only effect our ADRs at Ohana and Crystal Palace. I've read that they are still working out some kinks and people who check-in even just 5 minutes late are still being charged the cancellation fee. But I know that Disney is working to allow a grace period for late check-ins. Honestly, I'm not all that worried about it. If they charge me incorrectly, big whoop. I call and get a credit. And if people end up deciding NOT to come, then they owe me $10. Although I can't imagine that being the case.

In Non-Disney related news, I was officially given my 60 days notice last Tuesday. My last day at my job will be March 2nd. I'll be able to collect unemployment for, what? 26 weeks? Which will put me at the end of July..and I'm hoping to be able to supplement that with some pet-sitting jobs. I really don't want to have to go back to work right away...having the spring/summer off would be a dream...AND I won't have to worry about taking time off for our trip!

Hope you had a good Christmas and New Year. How's Lumar's job going?

That would be great if you could have the summer off...I would love to do that at some point.

 

[Simba22]

Hope you had a good Christmas and New Year. How's Lumar's job going?

That would be great if you could have the summer off...I would love to do that at some point.

The holidays were exhausting but very nice! Hope you enjoyed them as well!

I applied for a job today at a Doggy Day Care.... As nice as it would be be to have the summer off, I'm terrified about our income.

Lumar's job is...well...going. He's frustrated with the hours and the scheduling, and a large part of his job is sales. He seems to get nothing but really tough customers, who call to schedule an appointment and then give him the brush off after an hour. So he's not closing on as many as the company wants him to, and it's frustrating him. I'm hoping things get better for him in the spring.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Joining in!!!

Oh my goodness, I could never plan a trip with so many people!! You are a lot more patient than I am!! Hopefully the plans stay somewhat similar from here on in! How frustrating that people keep having to back out of the plans!

 

[Nermel9]

Your ADR's look great! Make sure you try for that 'Ohana dinner first, that's like, harder to get than Le Cellier these days!

OMG I want to work at a Doggy Day Care SOOOO bad! I keep saying I'm going to quit my job and apply to one, but I can't find any that are hiring! I really want to work with animals, it's the only kind of job that would make me actually happy to go to work everyday! If you happen to see anything in my area, let me know!

 

[Simba22]

Joining in!!!

Oh my goodness, I could never plan a trip with so many people!! You are a lot more patient than I am!! Hopefully the plans stay somewhat similar from here on in! How frustrating that people keep having to back out of the plans!

Hey Sara! Thanks for stopping by!

Trust me...I am NOT a patient person! I've wanted to strangle all of these people throughout the course of planning this trip! I truly just don't know how I can make things plainer to people!

And speaking of which...I emailed my cousin about the meal she wanted me to book for just her and her fiance...she KNOWS I have to make ADRs next Wednesday... and she STILL hasn't replied. I know people are busy and all but GOSH! Take 2 minutes to reply to me and then you don't have to get harassing emails every 48 hours from me!

Now go stalk the UPS guy and come back with good news about your ME tags!

Your ADR's look great! Make sure you try for that 'Ohana dinner first, that's like, harder to get than Le Cellier these days!

OMG I want to work at a Doggy Day Care SOOOO bad! I keep saying I'm going to quit my job and apply to one, but I can't find any that are hiring! I really want to work with animals, it's the only kind of job that would make me actually happy to go to work everyday! If you happen to see anything in my area, let me know!

Yeah, Ohana and CP are the ones I'm going to ask for first!

And I may be opening my OWN Doggy Daycare at some point in the future so I will definitely let you know! It's truly the only job I really WANT and there just aren't any around that are hiring! I take my dog to The Crate Escape in Wallingford for grooming, and I've asked them if they're hiring for the daycare and they told me no. The place I applied to the other day is in Trumbull, which is a bit far for me right now, but I would cry if I got that job! I want it sooo bad!

PS - I don't think you ever actually told me where in CT you are, but I'll PM you the website I use for job hunting!

 

[Simba22]

AHH!!! The Passporter for 2012 has now been pushed back to FEBRUARY 7! I swear, this thing is NEVER going to come out!!

 

[Simba22]

So as of today, we are OFFICIALLY 6 months away from our trip!

It still seems like it's so far away, but I know it's going to go quickly!

I get to make our ADRs on Wednesday...although last night, we switched around our schedule pretty extensively.

We really wanted to try and take advantage of EMH, and since we are not getting park hoppers, we had to make sure that our park schedule corresponded to the EMH schedule.

AND...I found a great deal on Undercover Tourist where you can buy 6 day base tickets and get a free 7th day, which means we now get to go to a park on our arrival night! Since DHS will have PM EMH that night, we'll be headed there after our dinner at DTD!

I'm so excited to get an extra day, PLUS, I'm really excited that it will be DHS at night! There is such a great ambience there when it's dark!

 

[KatMark]

So as of today, we are OFFICIALLY 6 months away from our trip!

It still seems like it's so far away, but I know it's going to go quickly!

I get to make our ADRs on Wednesday...although last night, we switched around our schedule pretty extensively.

We really wanted to try and take advantage of EMH, and since we are not getting park hoppers, we had to make sure that our park schedule corresponded to the EMH schedule.

AND...I found a great deal on Undercover Tourist where you can buy 6 day base tickets and get a free 7th day, which means we now get to go to a park on our arrival night! Since DHS will have PM EMH that night, we'll be headed there after our dinner at DTD!

I'm so excited to get an extra day, PLUS, I'm really excited that it will be DHS at night! There is such a great ambience there when it's dark!

for six months!

And on Undercover Tourist and getting a free day on your tickets. That is awesome.

 

[Simba22]

for six months!

And on Undercover Tourist and getting a free day on your tickets. That is awesome.

I know! It seems like it's such a long time but considering I only have 35 days of work left until I'm laid off(not counting weekends and day's off, of course!) I know it will go by quickly!

Yeah that Undercover Tourist deal is great!...now if people would only give the money for their tickets so I could actually buy them!

 

[Nermel9]

Wow, 6 months already? I remember when I was like "hey, your trip is under a year" months ago! It's going to fly by!

Yay for an extra park day, DHS at night is awesome!

 

[Simba22]

Wow, 6 months already? I remember when I was like "hey, your trip is under a year" months ago! It's going to fly by!

Yay for an extra park day, DHS at night is awesome!

I know! It goes much faster than we realize!

 

[Merida]

Congrats on six months! And yes on Hollywood Studios at night. That and Magic Kingdom are my favorite night parks.

 

[Simba22]

Congrats on six months! And yes on Hollywood Studios at night. That and Magic Kingdom are my favorite night parks.

Thanks! I can't wait to make ADRs on Wednesday!!!

I love EVERY park at night! I'm so sad that they don't do PM EMH at AK anymore! It was SOOO nice last year...I'm so glad we took advantage of it when we did!

 

[Simba22]

So I got up early yesterday morning, really excited to make our ADRs!

I always do them online because it's faster and easier.... Well, not this time, of course!

The website kept telling me that it couldn't recognize my confirmation number, and that I should call.

So I called Disney and the automated system told me that I could only make Dining Reservations if our check-in date was between now (January 11) and July 8. Our check-in date id July 9....

I knew that was wrong because not only do I have the trip calculator in front of me, but I had called Disney months ago and gotten my date...it was DEFINITELY January 11.

So I ask for a representative.

The CM gets on the phone and tells me that the system is sometimes slow to update with the new date, but she could definitely take my reservation requests over the phone.

We're 4 reservations in, and she accidentally cancels my whole "cart"!

So we go back and re-do the first 4, then proceed with the rest. Thankfully, no one snuck in and took my times during that little debacle! In the end, we go everything we wanted!

So this is what our dining schedule looks like right now:

July 9
T-Rex @ 6:00pm

July 10
Ohana @ 8:30am
Rose & Crown @ 5:15pm (I was considering switching this to lunch...what do you guys think?)

July 12
The Wave @ 5:15pm

July 13
Captain's Grill @ 1:00pm

July 14
San Angel Inn @ 5:00pm

July 15
Crystal Palace @ 8:05am
Ohana @ 5:15pm

 

[KatMark]

So I got up early yesterday morning, really excited to make our ADRs!

I always do them online because it's faster and easier.... Well, not this time, of course!

The website kept telling me that it couldn't recognize my confirmation number, and that I should call.

So I called Disney and the automated system told me that I could only make Dining Reservations if our check-in date was between now (January 11) and July 8. Our check-in date id July 9....

I knew that was wrong because not only do I have the trip calculator in front of me, but I had called Disney months ago and gotten my date...it was DEFINITELY January 11.

So I ask for a representative.

The CM gets on the phone and tells me that the system is sometimes slow to update with the new date, but she could definitely take my reservation requests over the phone.

We're 4 reservations in, and she accidentally cancels my whole "cart"!

So we go back and re-do the first 4, then proceed with the rest. Thankfully, no one snuck in and took my times during that little debacle! In the end, we go everything we wanted!

So this is what our dining schedule looks like right now:

July 9
T-Rex @ 6:00pm We have never done

July 10
Ohana @ 8:30am We've not done this one because I don't like Stitch or family style
Rose & Crown @ 5:15pm (I was considering switching this to lunch...what do you guys think?) We've eaten both here...they are both very good and I would stick with what works best for your touring plans

July 12
The Wave @ 5:15pmNever eaten here either, but my friend Nicki loves it

July 13
Captain's Grill @ 1:00pm This is the one we changed in September, but I have read great reviews.

July 14
San Angel Inn @ 5:00pm I don't do Mexican

July 15
Crystal Palace @ 8:05am My ALL-TIME favorite
Ohana @ 5:15pm

We have never done; I want to try to get it in during September trip

My comments are in red. You have a nice variety there.

 

[Merida]

We haven't been to all of those, just The Wave, Captain's Grill, and San Angel. We really liked all of them! Of course, we did the Wave for breakfast but it was nice and quite and the wait staff was excellent. I really recommend the malt and vinegar fries at Captain's Grille (it was an app) and the chicken sandwich (I love prosciutto though) - both were incredible and my boyfriend ended up "sharing" the fries instead of eating his sandwich (nothing wrong with it, he just wasn't in the mood for a burger). And San Angel was good too, but the tables were close together. The dulce de leche ice cream was divine.

 

[Simba22]

July 9
T-Rex @ 6:00pm We have never done

July 10
Ohana @ 8:30am We've not done this one because I don't like Stitch or family style
Rose & Crown @ 5:15pm (I was considering switching this to lunch...what do you guys think?) We've eaten both here...they are both very good and I would stick with what works best for your touring plans

July 12
The Wave @ 5:15pm Never eaten here either, but my friend Nicki loves it

July 13
Captain's Grill @ 1:00pm This is the one we changed in September, but I have read great reviews.

July 14
San Angel Inn @ 5:00pm I don't do Mexican

July 15
Crystal Palace @ 8:05am My ALL-TIME favorite
Ohana @ 5:15pmWe have never done; I want to try to get it in during September trip

My comments are in red. You have a nice variety there.

Lumar and I ate at T-Rex last year, and we didn't INTEND to go back for a while (it was a good time but there's other places we'd like to try) but my sister requested it so back we go!

OK your dislike of Stitch I can overlook but how can you NOT like family style? It's like buffet but your food is actually HOT when you get it, and no strangers have put their grubby little hands all over it! You should look past your undying hatred of Stitch for just a couple hours and try Ohana for breakfast just ONCE! It's our favorite breakfast spot in all of WDW!

We had R & C for lunch last year and it was so wonderful...I'm worried about booking a TS lunch on the same day as a TS breakfast...I'm worried I'll book it too early and we'll still be full...or I'll book it too late and we'll starve for 2 hours! I'm so torn!

I've also heard great things Captain's Grill and I wanted something close to DHS so that we can go for lunch and then go back to the park afterwards.

I've heard good things about The Wave too so we're excited for this one....I may opt for one of those really nice custom Disney Cakes to be delivered to us at this meal....haven't decided yet.

We love Mexican food in our family! And San Angel Inn has never disappointed so we're happy to be going back

We've been to CP a couple of times but I wouldn't say it's a favorite....The tables are so close together I always feel smooshed...and I feel terrible for the characters trying to squeeze into those tiny walkways!

I have to be honest, I wasn't all that impressed with Ohana for dinner...but the Pina Colava and the Bread Pudding alone are worth the return trip and it's a good experience for groups so I think it will work out OK...plus we can get right back to MK afterwards for the fireworks!

I'm already working on my ADR list for 2013...if you think this is a good variety, wait until you get a load of THAT schedule!