Welcome Foolish Mortals - I am your host, Your ghost host: Going to WDW in Oct '15 PTR-Updated 10/26

[totebagg]

Popping in to let you know that I'm here and that I'll come back to read. Trying to get an update done on the trip report this morning. Oh and I have your message, I'm gonna reply to that too.

Yea! Glad you joined and I got your message!

Following along! Congrats to the new addition to your family...how exciting!! I'm glad your daughter and her husband decided to still go on the trip and it sounds like she has a good plan to take it easy when she can. Baby Boy will let her know when it's time to rest.

Hi DeeDee, glad to have you along. I am so happy that they are still going especially since it will be awhile before they get back and this is Lawrence's first trip since he was little.

Your plans look great so far, CBR looks beautiful I was going back and forth between there and CSR but we ultimately decided on CSR.

We love CBR, but we eventually would like to try CSR. It's such a pretty resort and the lake is gorgeous especially at night!

I'm so jealous you got an 'Ohana dinner ADR, I was hoping to get one for our 2nd night of the trip, but no such luck (yet)!

I was very happy when we were able to snag it since we have never been and have read such good reviews, but don't give up hope because we have been able to get hard to find ADRs at the last minute. Not sure if you are following the November cancelled ADR thread if not here is the link http://www.disboards.com/threads/new-guidelines-november-cancelled-adr-thread-read-1st-post.3409711/. I have also been able to coordinate with other DISers and get those hard to get ADRs. Good luck!!!

 

[totebagg]

Preliminary Plans - {Part 3}... Days 6 & 7​

So I made it back without weeks going by! We are up to Days 6 & 7...

Day 6 (Tuesday) - OFF Day:

• This will be our non-park day. We did this last year and really enjoyed having a down day where we enjoyed the resort and took things at a little more leisurely pace.
• Second day in a row where I let the family sleep in ... I am just too nice that I should get a badge.

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• The plans for this day are the least mapped out. We know that we will eat breakfast at the resort then do some fun things during the day - here are some options we have tossed around...
  • Hang by the pool
  • DTD - Shopping, Disney Quest, Movie, Bowling
  • Tour some resorts
  • Miniature golf again (this family loves some miniature golf) - not sure about playing during the day as we like to play when a little cooler

(Here is Fantasia Gardens from our 2013 trip) (Here is Summerland/Winterland from our 2014 trip)​

• So our lunch plans will be based around what we do - if we are at DTD then we will probably go to WPE (a favorite of ours), Cookes of Dublin (would be a first) or may do T- Rex Cafe (also a first) or if we are at a resort - we may try one of their QS or we may just snack!
• The plans for the evening are also up in the air.
• We do have an ADR for HDDR just in case so I really need to figure this day out. I don't want to plan every second and want some flexibility but need to have some idea so I can release this ADR.

So if you guys have any suggestions or what you have done on your down day, please share!

Day 7 (Wednesday) - Epcot/Magic Kingdom:

• So we head back to Epcot today (9am - 9pm) and plan on being there by 8:20 am for rope drop.
• We plan on spending the morning in Future World then heading to World Showcase at 11 am for F&WF and eat around the opposite half of the world.
• Head back to resort and depending on time, rest/swim and grab a quick bite.
• Head to Magic Kingdom around 7pm for EMH until midnight!
• We have an ADR for the Wishes Dessert Party - we went last year for the first time and loved the view and not having to fight the crowds. We said that we wanted to take Tori and Lawrence to it this year but of course they changed it up by adding cheese and sparkling cider and doubling the price! I still made reservations but are waiting on reviews to start coming back to see if we keep. I am also hoping that there is a second MSEP at 11 pm so we can catch it - if not then it may not make it into our plans.

Can't you just hear the music now!!!!

So that wraps up the plans for Days 6 & 7...

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[BariTravis]

Just letting you know that I'm following along I hope we run into you guys on our stay from sept 27- oct 4!

And

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Choozee]

Our trip dates are sept 25- October 3rd
Maybe we will see ya all there too!

 

[totebagg]

Just letting you know that I'm following along I hope we run into you guys on our stay from sept 27- oct 4!

And

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glad you are following along and thanks for the congrats! Hope we run into you guys too. It is so nice to meet other Disney lovers at the parks!!

Our trip dates are sept 25- October 3rd
Maybe we will see ya all there too!

Isn't it exciting to have a trip planned! It is a great time of year to go and hopefully our paths will cross!

 

[MataHari22]

Just wanted to say hello! I'm jumping in to follow along. And congrats on the new grand baby.

 

[Choozee]

We will be wearing these!

 

[totebagg]

Just wanted to say hello! I'm jumping in to follow along. And congrats on the new grand baby.

HI! Thanks for following along and for the congrats - we are all very excited! Love your profile pic!

We will be wearing these!
View attachment 109401

These are awesome! My friend and I dressed up as Thing 1 and Thing 2 at work for Halloween one year and won second place. We were scary looking so I think it was a pity win! We are trying to decide on shirts for this trip since we have never done this before so I am going to have lots of questions about where to get them and looking for suggestions! Once again I absolutely love these and will be looking for the 3 things!!!!

 

[MataHari22]

HI! Thanks for following along and for the congrats - we are all very excited! Love your profile pic!

Thanks. I'm addicted to playing with ArtStudio and doing photoshop type stuff with my iPad.

 

[deedee2177]

Great update! I love the "down" day....I hope to take a trip where we can work a day like this into the plans. I think right now with the kids' ages it is all about the parks and we take breaks in the afternoon each day. I think once they are older they will begin to appreciate having a "down" day.

You will have to let us know where you ended up eating at DTD. DH and I are still trying to decide where we want to eat there for lunch on our arrival day. I'm actually thinking of Bongo's Cuban Cafe Express, but I don't know if DH would like that. So, I was also thinking Cookes of Dublin and WPE as other options as well.

 

[Choozee]

Etsy is a great place to shirt shop

 

[KathyM2]

I'm here following along!! We will be there for around the same time - Oct 7-14!

we got a 8:20am ADR for breakfast at BOG

I'm very jealous of this!! I thought the menu looked good too...and the fact that you got an 8:20 ADR...that rocks!

We love F&WF and scour the menus before the trip to plan out what we will get.

I've never been but I'm doing the same thing now...I don't think I will have room in my belly for all the things I want to try though...

We do have an ADR for HDDR just in case

This is sooo much fun! I would keep it! My DD (age 9) and I did it last March and really had a great time. Plus I loved looking around at FW too and taking the boat there.

 

[totebagg]

I'm addicted to playing with ArtStudio and doing photoshop type stuff with my iPad.

I really wish I was creative like this! My husband is the creative one in the family...I'm the planner and organizer hence my love of planning our disney vacations!

You will have to let us know where you ended up eating at DTD. DH and I are still trying to decide where we want to eat there for lunch on our arrival day. I'm actually thinking of Bongo's Cuban Cafe Express, but I don't know if DH would like that. So, I was also thinking Cookes of Dublin and WPE as other options as well.

I will definitely let you know - we will definitely be at DTD twice and possibly three times. I know we will definitely do WPE and we had also looked at the Smokehouse and Cookes of Dublin. Now I will have to look at the menu of Bongo's - didn't know they had a QS.

Etsy is a great place to shirt shop

Thanks! I had looked at a couple sites on Etsy especially for maternity shirts for Tori but need to look for us!

I'm here following along!! We will be there for around the same time - Oct 7-14!

Thanks for following along. Are you guys staying onsite? Very excited about our BOG ADR especially since we have the dining plan. We love F&WF - I just got finished updating a spreadsheet with the new items so we can plan on what we will try. The good thing is we will have 4 adults so we split unless it is a favorite then we get two!

 

[Choozee]

Great idea about the Epcot spreadsheet! Where did you find the FW menus? I would like to build a spreadsheet too

 

[MataHari22]

Great idea about the Epcot spreadsheet! Where did you find the FW menus? I would like to build a spreadsheet too

Disney food blog just posted the F&W menus.

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2015/...cial-events-booking-dates-discounts-and-more/

 

[totebagg]

Preliminary Plans - {Part 4}... Days 8 & 9
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Here we are already to Days 8 & 9 - the trip is flying by and we are not even there yet. At this point in the trip, I start getting a little sad because I know we will be going back to the real world and really try not to think about it!

Day 8 (Thursday) - Magic Kingdom/Epcot:

• We are headed to Magic Kingdom again today (9am - 7pm) and it will be a late arrival day. The crew starts to get a little cranky going from sun up to sun down so I will let them sleep in a bit. We will grab a bite in the room and plan on getting to Magic Kingdom around 9:30 am. This will be the day that we do our favorite rides over plus we want to do the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. We like playing games and did the Agent P game last year at Epcot and it was fun. I heard that this one is as much fun for adults as the kids. Let me know if you have played before and your thoughts!
• Lunch will be at BOG with an ADR at 12:15 pm. This will be our third year doing lunch at BOG and it is a favorite of Lane.

Here is the Braised Pork which keeps Lane coming back:


And I love the Master's Cupcake with the Grey Stuff:
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• Depending on how much we get accomplished, we may head back to the room that afternoon to swim.
• We will head to Epcot around 6 pm. They have EMH until 11 pm. Our dinner ADR is here at Chefs de France at 7:30 pm. We have not been here before and we would like to try most of the World Showcase's TS - so for this year it was between Teppan Edo and Chefs de France.

• We will walk around the World Showcase and hit up a couple more rides. Last year we were the last riders on Test Track and that was really cool!

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Day 9 (Friday) - Hollywood Studios:

• This will be our second HS day (9am - 7:30 pm) and plan on getting here around 9:30 am. We will either grab breakfast in our room or something (like a pastry) at HS.
• We will ride our favorites again (ToT, RNR, TSMM, Star Tours) plus we want to make sure that we see anything that we didn't catch on the first day such as Muppets, Lights Motor Action, Indiana Jones, etc. since this may be the last time we see them with all the changes happening. We also want to catch any of the M&G that may be leaving such as Phineas and Ferb.

My favorite ride!
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• We have a 11:30 am lunch ADR at Sci-Fi Dinner Theater. We went for the first time last year and enjoyed the atmosphere. I thought the food to be decent - not bad and not rock my world great except for the Oreo Cookie Milkshake - Yum! Lawrence and Bella really wanted to do this one so we grabbed an early lunch. We will more than likely either share a few appetizers or a couple of meals because we have the Fantasmic Dinner Package scheduled for this night as well!

Here we are last year. We are actually soaked because it poured the rain the majority of the day!
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• As I said we have the F! dinner package scheduled at Mama Melrose at 4:45 pm which was the latest reservation! So if you do the math there is only 4 hours between these two ADRs. The first year we did F!, we did it with a FP and our seats were not that great. Honestly we really didn't enjoy the show and didn't go last year, but we wanted to give it another chance especially since Lawrence is going and he wants to try and see/do it all. I had read that the best way to get good seats is to do the dining package, so we will give that a shot.
• Have you guys done this? If so how were the seats and what time did you head to F!. I believe the show is at 7:30 pm.

Well this wraps up Days 8 & 9. Only one more park day then we head home...

 

[kastoney]

Hi Tammy! Just finding your PTR and I'm all subbed in. Looks like you have some great plans, especially on the food front ; )

Congrats on your first grandbaby. I went about 20 weeks pregnant several years ago in the heat of September. Key is not unlike most people drink lots of water and rest often. I was a bad girl and didn't listen to all the ride warnings and just used my best judgement on what I should and shouldn't ride. Obviously I didn't do any roller coasters but I wasn't gonna miss the safari

 

[saintstickets]

Subbing in and loving your plans so far. Congrats on the future arrival! DW and I are still waiting on our 1st grandchild (DS1-30, DS2-30, DD-27 need to hurry up while we're still physically able to take them to WDW!)

A couple of suggestions to your questions...
You have a long drive the first day just like we do (we drive in from south Mississippi). We usually stay at BWV or BCV (DVC members) and love the BW/BC area to relax. One suggestion on where to eat your first day would be Beaches and Cream at YC/BC. Another is Big River Grille next to BW. Both are great and after your meal, walk around the BW and watch the free entertainment. There's always a juggler, magician or someone after dark to entertain people passing by. The two miniature golf courses are a short walk from this area and are really, really good if you want to try them on your down day. As for HDDR, Category 1 is the only way to go IMO. Cat 2 can be wayyyy in the back but you may be lucky enough to get one of the tables in the front on the side and Cat 3 is the balcony. Get there early and sign in ASAP. If you want to be part of the show, you'll probably need to be sitting as close to the stage as possible. The show lasts for about 2 hours.

Looking forward to more of your TR!

 

[KathyM2]

Are you guys staying onsite?

Yup, we are staying at POFQ. So excited because we have never stayed there so very much looking forward to that.

The good thing is we will have 4 adults so we split

That's handy. I'm going with just my DD so no such luck...but hoping she will want to share at least a couple things with me lol

11:30 am lunch ADR at Sci-Fi Dinner Theater.

We have an ADR for there too...excited about trying it. I've read a lot of similar reviews - food good but not stellar...but I think it's more about the atmosphere for that one.

 

[totebagg]

Hi Tammy! Just finding your PTR and I'm all subbed in. Looks like you have some great plans, especially on the food front ; )

Hi Kari - Glad you found it and welcome! As you can see I am the total opposite of you with the ADRs, but I told Lane that next trip when it is just the three of us I'd like to leave a few evenings without ADRs and go where the wind blows us or rather go where there is an open ADR! This way I think we would be try things that we haven't in the past!

Congrats on your first grandbaby. I went about 20 weeks pregnant several years ago in the heat of September. Key is not unlike most people drink lots of water and rest often. I was a bad girl and didn't listen to all the ride warnings and just used my best judgement on what I should and shouldn't ride. Obviously I didn't do any roller coasters but I wasn't gonna miss the safari

Thanks for the advice. Tori is really excited and she said she is most excited about eating. She was really sick her first 3.5 months and really just started getting her appetite back.

Subbing in and loving your plans so far. Congrats on the future arrival! DW and I are still waiting on our 1st grandchild (DS1-30, DS2-30, DD-27 need to hurry up while we're still physically able to take them to WDW!)

Welcome and glad you joined! Thank you for the congrats. We are very excited and like I said before this was a surprise to us all but we couldn't be happier! I am so with you about taking them to Disney - we are already thinking of what age would be the best to take them and with this being a boy (our only boy since we had three girls) doing and seeing the parks through a boys eyes.

One suggestion on where to eat your first day would be Beaches and Cream at YC/BC. Another is Big River Grille next to BW. Both are great and after your meal, walk around the BW and watch the free entertainment.

Thank you for such a great suggestion about the BW. We went to Beaches and Cream on our first trip and said we should go back to the BW area to walk around and take in the atmosphere! I will also look at the menu of Big River Grille since I am not familiar with it. Of course when I asked Lawrence what he wanted to eat the first night since this is his first trip, he said I want to go somewhere that is awesome and kicks off the whole experience! THE PRESSURE!!

As for HDDR, Category 1 is the only way to go IMO.

Thanks for this - I had tried reading up on which was best and couldn't get a good answer so I made a couple of HDDR reservations and I am glad that I did!

The show lasts for about 2 hours.

That is good to know and I am glad that the day I made the Cat 1 show at 8:30 pm - we had a late arrival day the next morning!