We'll call it a Christmas PTR: today is the day!

I stayed at Coronado in March and I LOVED it. I don't know if it is always this way but it was quiet, never crowded in food court, never crowded (or even close to full) on buses. There's a ceiling fan in the room! (I love hotels that have a ceiling fan!) we had stayed Pop and Art of Animation before and wanted to level up. My mom HATED it. She said it didn't feel like Disney and if she wanted to stay at a place like that we might as well booked a SA Riverwalk hotel! So we are staying All Star Music this coming trip (30 ish days!) and I'm nervous.....
 
I have mail

So, this arrived:
CmTsU1u.jpg


This is not the MagicBand for my trip. I renewed my annual pass and this is the band. For any interested, there's a red band in there. I probably won't be using it any time soon, but all of my annual pass bands have been red and it's become a nice annual thing. I turned down the band that goes with the trip. It turns out I have somehow collected 13 bands (plus this one now), and I've settled into two or three designs that I really like. There's not much of a reason to get another one, especially a boring solid color that I probably have already (all but pink).

I think I said on my last update that I've been on a shrimp kick. I started looking for restaurants where I can get shrimp dishes and also ended up just buying shrimp locally a couple of different times for that instant gratification. Now that I've stuffed myself on different days full of shrimp and jacked my cholesterol through the roof, I may have overcome that bit of craving. In fact, if I see another pink curly sea creature on my plate, I may end up putting stomach contents to toilet in one form or another. Craving solved!

Onwards, to planning!

I've seen pictures of the new drone light show at Disney Springs and it looks pretty impressive. I'm really looking forward to doing that one night. My Tuesday is looking awfully empty at the moment, especially since I've done nothing to fill that day up. I remain torn on whether or not I want to go to MVMCP. It's feeling like a last minute decision kind of thing. That Tuesday just looks awfully barren, and I'm itching to put something there, even if it's just a mental placeholder. So, I'm currently browsing menus and trying to find something new and different. I'm way too picky for my own good.

T-13 days and counting.
 
One week, one day

Not too long ago, we had a Wawa open locally. It's been quite a busy place over the last two months (or so). I had heard about Wawa over the past few years from people from the northeast who spend half the year in Florida to escape the winters. Between Wawa and Sheetz, you'd think there was some kind of gas station cult that was growing in power. Now that we have one, though, it's been fairly busy almost 24 hours a day and doesn't really show any signs of slowing down any time soon.

What does this have to do with Disney?

I go to Wawa fairly reguarly now. It's right up the road, which is nice and the gas tends to be right around the cheapest in the area. More than that, I love their breakfast burritos. Love them. I couldn't tell you specifically why. Maybe it's the nice selection of stuff to put in them, or maybe it's that it's made to order instead of just bulk made and tossed under a heat lamp. What has happened, though, is that it has really cramped my desire to go anywhere else for breakfast. The Wawa breakfast burrito is almost perfect, and the price is awesome too. So as I sit here on the Disney website trying to find another restaurant to try out, I find myself essentially dismissing every breakfast option because I could probably find a Wawa down the road and buy a breakfast burrito that I know I'll love, rather than spending $20 - $30 on a Disney breakfast. It's incredibly odd to say, given that Wawa is essentially a fancy gas station. I've been fairly consistent about picking a breakfast location on my trips. It's an almost tradition. I've done Boma a few times, and the Wave twice, and they were both quite a good place to go for a lot of breakfast flavors. I think I may be done now. I pass a Wawa on the way home. That'll probably be where I end up going.

Enough about a gas station. Let's do some Disney.

After some hemming and hawing, I picked a lunch reservation at Rose and Crown on my empty Tuesday. I've thought about going here on previous trips, but other things kind of took priority. Now seems like a good time to go. And since I'll be in Epcot now, I've got fast passes for Soarin' and Living with the Land. Slowly, this seems to be filling up nicely. Granted, there's still another FP selection to make that I might (or not) fill last minute, but I like where this is going. I think I may head to Disney Springs afterwards for a little bit of snacking and to watch the Drone light show and probably sneak into Ghirardelli one or ten times to get my ice cream and chocolate fix.

I'm finally close to done with planning. There are a few small details I need to figure out, and I might move some stuff around if I can't overcome the need to tinker, but this is getting very close to being final.
 
@JustCor
Congrats on 1 week and 1 day! We are around 3 weeks out. We had supper at Rose & Crown a couple trips ago. Loved the mashed potato "pudding" thing that came as a side with our steaks. Wanted to get some Bubble & Squeak but forgot.

It's nice to see someone else make FP for Living with the Land. My last trip (6th total) was the first time I'd even heard about it. As a floriculture and horticulture teacher I was pretty mad at my friends they kept it from me. For my upcoming trip I have FPs for it for 3 days.

Looking forward to seeing all your dining choices!
 

@JustCor
Congrats on 1 week and 1 day! We are around 3 weeks out. We had supper at Rose & Crown a couple trips ago. Loved the mashed potato "pudding" thing that came as a side with our steaks. Wanted to get some Bubble & Squeak but forgot.

It's nice to see someone else make FP for Living with the Land. My last trip (6th total) was the first time I'd even heard about it. As a floriculture and horticulture teacher I was pretty mad at my friends they kept it from me. For my upcoming trip I have FPs for it for 3 days.

Looking forward to seeing all your dining choices!
I'm looking forward to Rose and Crown. There are a few dessert items that look really good that I've thought about popping in to grab before, but never got around to. I'm not sure what I want to try beyond dessert. The scotch egg appetizer looks tasty. One of the reviews I read from a while ago had a few things that don't appear to be on the menu anymore, but I've got my eye on a different entrees that I'd be more than happy to try out. It'll definitely be a last minute decision type of thing.

Living with the Land is something that a few friends told me about. They all enjoyed it, so I had to give it a go.
 
Would you call it a fast pass or an event?

I've had to make a quick change of plans for my Monday. Nothing too serious, really. I've moved my FP for Big Thunder Mountain to later in the day from an earlier time. I have a slightly more important appointment to keep now: job interview. Over the past few weeks, I've been considering a move, and there are a few open positions for my job in Orlando that I applied to (in addition to other places, but that's neither here nor there). So my Disney trip is now a Disney/Job Interview trip. Sweet. With a little luck, dinner at the Wave will include a bit of a celebration.
 
I'm looking forward to Rose and Crown. There are a few dessert items that look really good that I've thought about popping in to grab before, but never got around to. I'm not sure what I want to try beyond dessert. The scotch egg appetizer looks tasty. One of the reviews I read from a while ago had a few things that don't appear to be on the menu anymore, but I've got my eye on a different entrees that I'd be more than happy to try out. It'll definitely be a last minute decision type of thing.

Living with the Land is something that a few friends told me about. They all enjoyed it, so I had to give it a go.


I had a scotch egg at either 3 Broomsticks or Leaky Cauldron at Universal. I really enjoyed it. I'm not a fan of breakfast sausage seasoning and was worried it would be like that, but it wasn't.
 
I had a scotch egg at either 3 Broomsticks or Leaky Cauldron at Universal. I really enjoyed it. I'm not a fan of breakfast sausage seasoning and was worried it would be like that, but it wasn't.
I had one at Universal as well, though I couldn't tell you where. Some place that may or may not still be there and was around before the Harry Potter stuff. I liked it, though I've since had much better at local places. If I remember right, the ones at Universal were good but on the dry side. I'm hoping the Disney version is on the better end of it. I'm also hoping that it's not just one egg for $11. The menu reads like it's a single egg though.
 
:wave: HI JustCor joining in on the planning. Hopefully the job interview will be great. Speaking of job what do you do? Your pic looks like your either in the OR or Cathlab. As 30 yr xray/ct tech I'm curoius. Looking forward to hearing more.
 
:wave: HI JustCor joining in on the planning. Hopefully the job interview will be great. Speaking of job what do you do? Your pic looks like your either in the OR or Cathlab. As 30 yr xray/ct tech I'm curoius. Looking forward to hearing more.
Hi! I have my fingers crossed for the interview. I'm a tech in the cath lab. We've got a few really good ARRTs mixed in with us RCIS folk.
 
According to my countdown clock, I am 15 days out, beside myself trying to get all Christmas stuff done, and getting to the nervous part of getting ready for the trip.

Add to that I am on a bus right now taking kids to a state contest and it doubles my nerves.

You have 3-4 days? AND a job interview! I'd need a spa day and a pina colada by now. Good luck and congrats!
 
PS....have you seen this???

http://www.**************.net/2016/...ghway-in-the-sky-dine-around-on-december-2nd/
 
Road trips with my family means looking out for the Sheetz. Teen boys are serious about their trip snack options. I'll add Wawa to the list now.

Best of luck with the job interview!
 
And the fun starts now

I have arrived and checked into my room. I actually drove up last night and stayed with a friend.

I might have goofed a bit. There are an awful lot of cheerleaders here. My last experience with cheerleaders was filled with overly loud rooms and hallways and random cheering and obnoxious behaviors in the park. I'm on the bus to MK and it's already ear-splitting.

Oh well, unbridled enthusiasm is a good thing, right? PTR ends now. Trip report to follow later.

To infinity, and beyond!
 












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