What's more American than Disney?!We Brave the 4th of July! TR LINK pg. 55!!!!!!!

[Tinkerbellie16]

Oh my gosh, that stinks! When you get to the airport...it's like you're so close and to have to wait an hour! Oh God, now I'm worried there is going to be a long wait when we arrive on the 1st because it's such a busy time!! Hmm, I wonder how many people's flights arrive at 8:55am though......

I bet that it isn't bad at 9 am for ME. We arrived in the afternoon in April 2009 during some cheerleader weekend and it was an awful wait but every other year we were only in line with a dozen other people.

And I happened to comment about that 'darned' Le Cellier. Well, last night I kept trying for ADRs there and I found a 4:30 ADR for all 6 of us!!! I couldn't believe it. So I got that 'darned Le Cellier'!!! My husband and I were a little bummed by the time but then we realized we would have a lot of time after dinner to walk around the world...and drink around the world

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Awesome photos Dontcha just love empty park pics

Empty park pics are almost better than empty parks themselves!

Katy,

We did the same thing last year! Call me crazy, but we will probably do it again in 2011! It was pretty crowded, but the FD is such a great deal for us. We have essentially 4 adults. We can't decide between late June/early July with the possibility of a pin code or August again, with the crowds, in the hopes of FD? HELP!!!

Kelly

I'm sure you'll be fine. The first day was really the worst and I'll write about our experience a little later....as soon as I finish this paper on mathematical real-world connections!

Growing up, we always went the last week in August and the crowds were great! That was before there was even a such thing as the dining plan so...

I'll let you know how early July is!!

Your trip was a great one! I'm anxiously watching your ticker go down, because mine is right behind yours!

I think as long as you have your ADRs you're set. Free Dining only had crowds in the restaurants, it seemed. When we did it a few years ago most rides were walk-ons and the parks were not at all crowded, but the restaurants were usually full.

I'm sure just that first week of free dining is the worst because a lot of people aren't back in school yet.

I bet that it isn't bad at 9 am for ME. We arrived in the afternoon in April 2009 during some cheerleader weekend and it was an awful wait but every other year we were only in line with a dozen other people.

And I happened to comment about that 'darned' Le Cellier. Well, last night I kept trying for ADRs there and I found a 4:30 ADR for all 6 of us!!! I couldn't believe it. So I got that 'darned Le Cellier'!!! My husband and I were a little bummed by the time but then we realized we would have a lot of time after dinner to walk around the world...and drink around the world

Yeah I'm not really too worried about the ME line...that's the least of my worries at this point! I'm still trying to decide if I should even risk going to DHS on the 4th for fear I won't be able to get into Epcot around 1.

Congrats on the Le Cellier ADR!! That's so awesome! That happened to us on our last trip...I tried for weeks and weeks to get 'Ohana and I ended up getting it just days before we left!

 

[crmscotland]

Not long to go now - it's nearly SDD time!

 

[kaos928]

Oh my gosh, that stinks! When you get to the airport...it's like you're so close and to have to wait an hour! Oh God, now I'm worried there is going to be a long wait when we arrive on the 1st because it's such a busy time!! Hmm, I wonder how many people's flights arrive at 8:55am though......

I know! I was so used to just walking right up to the bus every other time we had used ME.

I think at 8:55am you should be ahead of most, we arrived at 11am. So hopefully you beat the crowds!

Katy,

We did the same thing last year! Call me crazy, but we will probably do it again in 2011! It was pretty crowded, but the FD is such a great deal for us. We have essentially 4 adults. We can't decide between late June/early July with the possibility of a pin code or August again, with the crowds, in the hopes of FD? HELP!!!

Kelly

You must have been one of the other thousand people in the ME line with us! If you really look at the price break down I think you usually save more money going with a pin code and adding dining than getting free dining plus you avoid those crowds. Actually our DVC rep said isn't so much 'free' as they just bump up the hotel rates and you pay for it that way Either was, good luck!

One of the things that made the crowds so bad for us was that DH ended up needing a wheelchair due to sciatica problems, which was IMPOSSIBLE to maneuver through the sea of people!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Not long to go now - it's nearly SDD time!

I know!! We stopped ripping off pages of our countdown calendar at 76 days out. Just got to stressful with the jobs situation and everything...but I said to Tom just last night....I don't care that we haven't ripped off the days, we are doing the single digit dance on Monday night!

 

[adisneymama]

Nikki how is the job situation? Have either of you heard anything? I'm still hoping for great news for you both. Oh and I don't think you will have a problem getting into Epcot on the 4th. But that is based off of last year when we were there, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Nikki how is the job situation? Have either of you heard anything? I'm still hoping for great news for you both. Oh and I don't think you will have a problem getting into Epcot on the 4th. But that is based off of last year when we were there, so take it with a grain of salt.

Thanks for asking about the jobs. Well, the hospital Tom works for officially closed about a month ago but because he does billing, he's still working until mid-August. We haven't really talked about what's going to happen after that yet. We want to go on vacation and deal with it after. Plus, it will be more beneficial for him to stay until the end and not get another job first because if he leaves, he isn't considered laid-off anymore and won't get severance or the possible bonus...

As for my job, still no word. Hope to know soon.....

So you were in Epcot on the 4th last year? Do you know if if closed at all? What time did you get there?? Do you think I'll be safe if I try to get there around 12 or 1?

 

[adisneymama]

We did DHS on the 4th last year as well. But I never heard of any of the parks closing. I think you can either call a # for information and get the status of each park, but I also think you can go to guest services at any park and find out.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

You aren't far off from your trip!!!!! I'm excited for you!!!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

10 minutes ago...a convo with DH....

Tom: I'm going to watch Terminator in the bedroom.

Me: DON'T FALL ASLEEP!!

Tom: Why, is Freddy gonna get me?

Me: No....because tonight we do the SINGLE DIGIT DANCE!!!

:

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

As if you haven't all guess by now....this was the day Free Dining 2006 started.

It was fine that morning in the MK but something funny was going on when we pulled up to POR. LOTS AND LOTS of people arriving at the resort. Uh-Oh. I kid you not, it started raining at that moment. It hadn't rained the past 4 days and now rain....duh duh duuuuuuuuuuh! Ominous.

Well the plan that night was to go to Jellyrolls. I had never been there before and thought it looked fun so I threw it in the agenda.

So this was the worst....we decided we would take the bus to MGM and boat it over to the Boardwalk. Well, we get to the main bus stop at POR and it was the most crowded I had ever seen it!! Seriously, all week there were maybe 2 or 3 other families at the bus stops with us, if that. Tonight was a mob scene!! Everyone who had just arrived was on their way to the parks...and guess where they were all going? The MK, of course, because that is where most people go when they first arrive.....

So since there was a huge crowd, we were obviously in the back of the pack when the MGMbus pulled up. Now everyone was pushing their way up in the front because, god forbid, they aren't first....and we wait our turn, of course....then all of a sudden, the bus PULLS AWAY!!

So we loudly ask the people who were at the front, "Why did that bus leave?" to which they answered..."It was going to MGM." When I tell you we were lived, that is an understatement! We sort of angrily yelled back, "That's where we were going!"

Those people actually shooed our bus away because it wasn't where they were going.

Curse you, free dining!!! Curse you and your inconsiderate, selfish crowds!

Well, of course, we made it eventually and had a great night at Jellyrolls. We haven't been back since and it's definitely on the itinerary for this trip. We even booked an ADR for Kouzzina to ensure that we make it over there. I'm so excited! For both dinner and live entertainment!

I was a little tipsy by the time we left...hence the blurry picture!

It was kind of a pain to get back to POR after Jellyrolls because there is no direct bus. So we actually had to go out front and hop on the bus to DTD, then from there go back to POR. Funny story, when the bus pulled into the Boardwalk from DTD, there was a group who was clearly enjoying themselves on PI and when they all got off....they left their friend, passed out in a chair in the back of the bus!! We kind of had to wake him up and tell him he was home, get off the bus!

The good thing about free dining was that we were going to MGM the next day, when most people were going to MK or Epcot so the park was still pretty empty in the morning....you can tell Tom was still a little tired from his night out!

 

[tinkerbell60]

10 minutes ago...a convo with DH....

Tom: I'm going to watch Terminator in the bedroom.

Me: DON'T FALL ASLEEP!!

Tom: Why, is Freddy gonna get me?

Me: No....because tonight we do the SINGLE DIGIT DANCE!!!

:

I love it!!! Happy Single Digits!!!!!

 

[crmscotland]

I love it!!! Happy Single Digits!!!!!

Yay for SDDing, my trip starts one day later.

 

[mdrob214]

10 minutes ago...a convo with DH....

Tom: I'm going to watch Terminator in the bedroom.

Me: DON'T FALL ASLEEP!!

Tom: Why, is Freddy gonna get me?

Me: No....because tonight we do the SINGLE DIGIT DANCE!!!

:

 

[Stefy]

OMG I don't blame you for being livid, I would have been as well if my bus had just been shooed away!

Love the tipsy Boardwalk photo

 

[irishdancer86]

single digits!

oh big signs like the snow white one with 0 wait...thats what i love! likelihood of me seeing this sign on our trip?! i wish! that was so cool to get an early start in fantasyland!

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Single digit dance!!! I'll live vicariously through your joy

 

[englishrose47]

single digits!

oh big signs like the snow white one with 0 wait...thats what i love! likelihood of me seeing this sign on our trip?! i wish! that was so cool to get an early start in fantasyland!

Yay for single digits !!

 

[disneybarbie]

single digit dance!

hoping to take DF to Jelly Rolls on our next trip... my sister & I really enjoyed it last year! ... I guess that's a plus point for staying at the Boardwalk - we'll only have to walk back to our room for JR and not get on a bus or two!

Emma x

 

[Stefy]

Single Digit Dance for you. Not long now before you are partying away at the MK for July 4th