What are we celebrating - everything - again - Trip report link added

[pattyw]

I mean seriously, how adorable is this purse? And I really want it. I haven't started to butter Tony up yet and it is not even close to reasonably inexpensive, even with coupons. But it is so cute! Why did I even start looking??

Can you say- Christmas is coming??? Leave a few small (or big) hints for Tony!!

I like the purse too- maybe I'll have to venture over to the Disney Store website

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

The purse is really cute. I look at them, too, sigh, and then just move on to another page. It would make a nice present, though.

Okay, so if you're looking for votes on the extra day, here's mine. Add another day at WDW, but no parks (like you said). Spend part of the day at the pool at ASMu enjoying an adult beverage or two, and then resort hop or spend some more time at Disney Springs.

I just found your report today and am really enjoying it. Looking forward to more posts.

 

[Ruthie5671]

And just like that - we're officially under 100 days. 97 to be exact. But who's counting? Oh yeah, that would be me! And I have some updates!

Tony and I decided to add our "bonus day" to the Disney portion of the trip. The new and improved plan is to have our arrival day be a non-park day. We can get there at our leisure and get checked in and unpacked. If the weather is warm enough, we can lounge at the pool for a while and explore Disney Springs that evening. So I will need to move around our dining reservations and hopefully be able to move Art's Homecoming to that day. The good news is that we will not be using a day on the park tickets on what will really be just a half day in the park. I haven't added the extra day yet, as I am not so patiently waiting for the January discounts to roll out. From what I read on the boards, it should be any minute for a room only discount and/or the "Stay/Play/Dine". Either one would work for us. The discount will not change our plans, but a little extra budgetary help would be welcome.

And the yet to be named condo has finally gotten a name . . . . The Sheraton Vistana Resort. I just happened to see a link offering a nice discount on a one-bedroom, so I began browsing. And then it was even slightly more discounted if I gave up daily housekeeping. The resort fee and parking fee was waived, so it seemed ridiculous not to book it. And if you have read any of Gina's trip reports, she absolutely raves about this place. It does looks pretty fabulous.



If any "Weather God's" are reading this report - can I have the bright sunshine as shown above, about 72 degrees and little humidity? Thanks!

So the next steps will be adding on the extra day and tweaking dining reservations. I might save that for a weekend project so I'm spreading out the fun. I also bought Tony a new hat so his bald head doesn't burn and some SPF 50 sunscreen. Just a few more things to check off the list! The sunscreen may or may not be sitting next to the suitcases.

 

[Ruthie5671]

Can you say- Christmas is coming??? Leave a few small (or big) hints for Tony!!

I like the purse too- maybe I'll have to venture over to the Disney Store website

The trip is our official Christmas gifts to each other. But I'm pretty sure the Disney Store should have some fairly good Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals that I could just take a peek at???? Actually I showed Tony a picture of the purse, and his response was "well, did you buy it yet?". I'm not sure how I got so lucky to marry this guy.

The purse is really cute. I look at them, too, sigh, and then just move on to another page. It would make a nice present, though.

Okay, so if you're looking for votes on the extra day, here's mine. Add another day at WDW, but no parks (like you said). Spend part of the day at the pool at ASMu enjoying an adult beverage or two, and then resort hop or spend some more time at Disney Springs.

I just found your report today and am really enjoying it. Looking forward to more posts.

to the trip report. I love having new readers jump on board. We did decide to add the extra day to Disney (see the update above). I'm so excited to have such a nice, long vacation. Thanks for reading!

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

The Sheraton resort you chose looks beautiful! Plus you get to add another day in the Disney bubble!! Yay! Sounds like it's going to be a GREAT trip.

 

[JenLanDisney]

I might save that for a weekend project so I'm spreading out the fun.

I was lucky enough to hear a Disney Imagineer speak recently. He said that there are 3 parts to a Disney trip:
1 - The planning and anticipation
2 - The actual trip
3 - The nostalgia

So true!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Hope you enjoy your weekend work

 

[Ruthie5671]

Hi all! Sorry for the delay in reporting in. There has not been too much to report about until today. But first, let's talk about how many more days until we leave . . . . 90! Which means Fastpass+ reservations are in less than a month. I can already tell that will not be a productive day at work.

So you might remember that when I started this trip report that I was very excited to stay at All Star Music resort. And I really was. Until we got our first piece of "Mickey Mail" a few weeks ago and it said we were staying at All Star Movies resort. I was totally convinced that could not be right. So I got the notepad I had written everything down on the night I made the reservation. And guess what? We're staying at All Star Movies.



I mean it is really completely fine. We have stayed there before in the Fantasia section, so I am hoping that we have a different area this time. Does anyone know which buildings are the preferred rooms?

This morning was the big day that all of the promotional discounts and package deals to come out for 2018. I called this morning and none of them were applicable to our dates. Unless I wanted to drop some mega bucks on a deluxe resort. Umm, that would be no, but thanks for asking. However, I did add on our extra Disney day. So the new plan looks like this - depart KY on 01-02-18 and drive to about Lake City, FL. Arrive in Orlando on 01-03-18 for six nights at ALL STAR MOVIES (I got it right this time). On 01-09-18 check into the Vistana for three nights. Leave for home on 01-12-18 and arrive back to KY on 01-13-18. I have never taken a two week vacation before, so this is a big deal for us. I am so excited. Next steps are to adjust our dining reservations for the additional day since arrival day will not be a park day. I'm thinking we'll be exploring Disney Springs. It is getting exciting around here. Well for Tony and I anyway!

Thanks for reading along.

 

[Ruthie5671]

The Sheraton resort you chose looks beautiful! Plus you get to add another day in the Disney bubble!! Yay! Sounds like it's going to be a GREAT trip.

I am really getting excited about this trip. I have been listening to Disney park music on You Tube which has kept me in a "Disney mood". I found a 10 hour continuous loop that I've been playing for several days. My workers think I've lost my mind.

I was lucky enough to hear a Disney Imagineer speak recently. He said that there are 3 parts to a Disney trip:
1 - The planning and anticipation
2 - The actual trip
3 - The nostalgia

So true!

Yes
Yes
Yes

Hope you enjoy your weekend work

I really do enjoy my weekend job. After mom passed away, I was a zombie. I would only work the main job and literally not move from the house from Friday afternoon until Monday morning when I had to come back to work. I just couldn't put one foot in front of the other and didn't know what to do with myself. Then a friend suggested driving so I tried it. It is nice to meet new people every 30 minutes. Most are really cool and a few are kind of blah. But it helped me get out of my sadness and that is what I needed.

 

[pattyw]

Ruthie-
We've stayed at All Star Movies and we really liked it! We loved all the icons- a lot of good pictures!
I understand your sadness at losing your mom. I lost my dad suddenly in March and it's been hard. My mom is still here and she is so sad at times it's heartbreaking! We try to find comfort in each other and our memories! You are very lucky to have such a great DH in Tony ( I have a gem too)- they are truly the perfect rock we need in such times!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Well I've never thought I was staying at a different hotel! Glad you took it in your stride Ruthie. And you have an extra day now for shopping and enjoying Disney Springs and staying at the Sheraton which should be just the bit of relaxation you need

 

[Ruthie5671]

Two updates in one week! Yes folks, I'm just that dedicated to this pre-trip report. Or I've had a really crappy work week and I just cannot focus on work so I'd rather think about my upcoming vacation. You decide which is right!

Last night Tony and I tweaked our dining reservations. Any by tweak, I mean completely overhaul. When we added the extra day, that pushed around which park we were going to visit each day. And since we're not park hopping, some strategy was involved. It is just weird to try to decide what we might want to eat in three months when I cannot decide what kind of pop-tarts to bring each morning. But we managed to come up with this new and improved dining plan. Drum roll please . . . . .

Arrival day - Ragland Road Irish Pub and Restaurant (Disney Springs)
Day 2 - Tony's Town Square Restaurant (MK - guess who's idea this was???)
Day 3 - Cape May Café (Beach Club)
Day 4 - Yak and Yeti Restaurant (AK)
Day 5 - Art Smith's Homecomin' (Disney Springs)
Day 6 - Grand Floridian Café (GF)

I have never been to any of these places, so I'm really excited to try new things. Most of the times of our reservations are 7:00/7:30, so I'm looking forward to exploring the Beach Club after dinner on the Cape May night. All the twinkle lights should be glowing and it should just be so nice and relaxing. OMG - I cannot wait.

Only 88 more days!

 

[Ruthie5671]

Ruthie-
We've stayed at All Star Movies and we really liked it! We loved all the icons- a lot of good pictures!
I understand your sadness at losing your mom. I lost my dad suddenly in March and it's been hard. My mom is still here and she is so sad at times it's heartbreaking! We try to find comfort in each other and our memories! You are very lucky to have such a great DH in Tony ( I have a gem too)- they are truly the perfect rock we need in such times!

It has been without a doubt - the worst year in my life. And there have been some down times, but this has been horrible. To say that I'm lucky to have Tony is a huge understatement. I could not have survived this without him.

Well I've never thought I was staying at a different hotel! Glad you took it in your stride Ruthie. And you have an extra day now for shopping and enjoying Disney Springs and staying at the Sheraton which should be just the bit of relaxation you need

Yeah, I was a bit surprised that I made such a huge error. But the wrong hotel in Disney is much better than any day here at home, so it's all good. And relaxing? Oh girl, I will be by that pool no matter what the weather is. I am oh so ready.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

It all sounds delicious and so exciting to be trying all new places. When we were there at Christmas, Disney Springs was just so busy it was uncomfortable and everywhere was packed. We love the yacht and beach club (still on our wish list), it will be lovely to walk round the lake after dinner, or sit in the rocking chairs and watch everything.

It sounds like you really deserve this trip and it's so good that Tony has supported you throughout. We all need our rocks x

 

[pattyw]

Ruthie- let us know how you like Tony's Town Square. We tried it many years ago and liked it but it gets such bad press here on the DIS. We're an easy to please family and love Italian food- we were all happy with our selections. We also want to try Skipper Canteen but the menu is a little adventurous for us.

 

[Ruthie5671]

This is the slow part of the pre-trip report where there is really nothing going on in the planning. I read other reports and it seems like everyone is all busy, busy, busy and I'm sitting here, well, just working (gotta pay for the trip). But I just wanted to check in and say hi and offer a few things I've checked off of my list.

WE HAVE PONCHO'S!

I know, it's silly. But I've been to WDW in the ugliest of weather and will not ever pay the park prices for poncho's. Wal-Mart had them on sale, so those are purchased.

Tony did casually mention to me that I'm driving him crazy with my constant chatter about our count down clock (81 days) and my overwhelming desire to get out the suitcases and start packing. Now I'm not completely crazy. I know we cannot pack now. But when I was a kid and we had family trips, mom would always start a "packing pile" long before the trip would happen. You know, things you accumulate along the way for the trip. New undies, bandaids, safety pins, stuff like that. She would pile it up on her dresser and everything would be ready for the smooth transition into the suitcase. So I explained the "packing pile" to Tony last night and that the poncho's and sunscreen could be the beginning to the pile. That was immediately vetoed. The compromise was that I could begin gathering things for the pile on December 1st. I can somewhat live with that.

In real life, we are both busy at work and Tony is wrapping up his current class and will start his next one in two weeks. He also turns the big "50" on 10-29, so we're figuring out what to do to celebrate. I want to be all loud and festive and he is not feeling that very much. We both want to get new tattoos, so that might be part of the celebration. We shall see.

That's all I can think of for now. Have a magical day!

 

[Ruthie5671]

It all sounds delicious and so exciting to be trying all new places. When we were there at Christmas, Disney Springs was just so busy it was uncomfortable and everywhere was packed. We love the yacht and beach club (still on our wish list), it will be lovely to walk round the lake after dinner, or sit in the rocking chairs and watch everything.

It sounds like you really deserve this trip and it's so good that Tony has supported you throughout. We all need our rocks x

I've not been to Disney Springs since it had the complete makeover from Downtown Disney. And even then, I went only a handful of times. I'm looking forward to World of Disney and the Lego Store. And I've heard a ton about Basin and all the delicious scents they have there. I need to work on a budget for my gift spending. And yes, Tony is completely my rock. I cannot imagine life without him.

Ruthie- let us know how you like Tony's Town Square. We tried it many years ago and liked it but it gets such bad press here on the DIS. We're an easy to please family and love Italian food- we were all happy with our selections. We also want to try Skipper Canteen but the menu is a little adventurous for us.

We looked at the menu for Skipper Canteen and it was way to much for my simple taste. I'm actually getting a bit on board with Tony's Town Square because our reservation is for 7:15, and fireworks start at 8:00. So my master plan is to request outside or window seating so we can see the fireworks show.

 

[Ruthie5671]

Happy Monday everyone. Okay, it's not a happy Monday. I had to come to work instead of being on vacation like some people I know (HI @Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina - I'm totally jealous). My day has not gone as planned and my motivation to work can only be rated in negative numbers. So I decided that today would be the day I would tweak our dining reservations. I know, I know, I already had things set and was excited about the eating bonanza that was coming upon us. But then I got to thinking - we had no sit down dining reservations in Epcot. None. That just seemed wrong considering the dining options in Epcot. Let's be realistic here - it's not choosing between Burger King and McDonalds. There are some heavy hitting places to get your grub on. So I decided to move things around a bit, and by doing this not only did I get an Epcot reservation, it helped me solidify what parks we would be visiting each day. Well, pretty much. Here is the new and improved plan:

Day 1/arrival day - Check into All Star Movies/Head to Disney Springs/Dinner at Art Smith's Homecomin' at 7:30
Day 2 - Magic Kingdom/Dinner at Tony's Town Square at 7:05
Day 3 - Hollywood Studios/Dinner at Cape May Café at 7:10/Roaming around the area after dinner
Day 4 - Animal Kingdom/Dinner at Yak and Yeti at 6:30
Day 5 - EPCOT/Dinner at Tokyo Dining at 6:50
Day 6 - Dinner at Grand Floridian Café at 7:15

We only have a five day non-park hopper pass, so I'm completely torn about the last day. More often than not, you need two days for EPCOT, but depending on how many rides and activities we want to do, having two days at Magic Kingdom sounds nice. And with dinner at the Grand Floridian, it just makes sense to go back to Magic Kingdom that day. I know, first world problems. But I just cannot decide. Help me friends - what do you think? I'm about 2 1/2 weeks until fast pass day and I need some guidance.

And I also noticed something today. There are no evening extra magic hours the entire time we are there. The only EMH's are during the morning. Now, I realize that you don't know me, but let me share a secret. I am not a morning person. I need a good amount of caffeine and some quiet time before I am even close to being human. Waking up early to only get an additional hour will only add to the grumpy-meter. Does anyone think that this might change as we get closer? This is the first time I've traveled to WDW during January, so I'm hoping that since it is a race weekend, the hours might open up a bit.

77 more days!!!!!

 

[JenLanDisney]

If you would prefer not to wake early, I suggest avoiding the EMH parks on those days. They tend to get very busy from folks who do not have park hoppers.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Okay, so I'm waaayyyy behind after being away for a week. Now that my trip is over, I'll be eagerly counting down the days until YOU travel!

I am back to work this morning (cue the wailing and gnashing of teeth LOL) but will be back later to read up on what I've missed.