You Want to Stay Where?! A July PTR* TR LINK 8/8!

This week's match-ups are:

Signature/Celebrity Chef


2. Le Cellier Steakhouse vs. 7. Hollywood Brown Derby
I haven't tried either, but I'm a vegetarian, so the steak house is out!


Character/Dinner Show


2. Crystal Place vs. 7. Tusker House
I want to try TH, but I already know I love CP. We have had 2 CP dinners and this year are adding breakfast to our list, the puffed french toast looks good enough to blow a lot of character meals out of the water.


Table Service


2. Via Napoli vs. 7. Kona Cafe

Another where we have not tried either, however I have a VN ADR this trip that replaced a KC ADR, so I guess I want to try one more than the other!

Counter Service

2. Be Our Guest vs. 10. Wolfgang Puck Express

I am SURE that BoG is going to win this, and let's face it, on the theming alone, a win is most likely deserved. That said, I have such a love for WPE! A CS meal served on real plates is a winner in my book. We will be lining up to try BoG this trip for lunch, so I could very well be converted, but right now I have to go with old Wolfgang.
 
Well, I finally have another (tiny) sewing update ready for you. I've been working on this graduation dress for weeks. It's not a difficult dress, but fitting it on the recipient, then driving it home and sewing wasn't working. After 3 failed attempts at getting the fit correct (and recutting the whole darn thing) I finally wised up an asked the young lady to come over so that I could fit and sew in one place.

I am very, very pleased to announce that it now fits!!! I still have to do the finishes, but the hard part is over.





Once it's well and truly done I'll share some more pics. This week I'll be finishing that up, and making the coordinating skirt for Maddie.


This week the new American Girl catalog arrived in the mail. Maddie has spent every day pouring over it and creating a wish list (basically everything in it). Since those prices can be a little scary, I decided to try my hand at making some more AG stuff. I'm in the process of making a sleeping bag and tent. The best part? The AG set costs upward of $200, but mine will cost about $10! I had most of the materials and fabrics on hand, so all I'm really buying is some foam core!


Bryan and are have also been working on getting a countdown calendar ready to go. I'd share, but we're making it in PowerPoint,and I can't seem to take a screenshot of a slide :confused3 So, maybe next week we'll have that ready to share as well!


So maybe I didn't have as much to share as I thought :lmao: I promise I'll do better! And, I'm feeling very optimistic that I'll be able to get an Etsy shop up and running before we leave for WDW. I have some ideas that I think will be very cute!

Have a great weekend everyone!

That dress is SO CUTE! You know how you can tell when a seamstress/designer is really good? When their creations don't look like homemade craft projects. I mean sometimes the homemade look is what you are going for, but when you can create a dress that looks like it came right out of a pricey boutique, not to mention is "cool" enough for a teenager to wear..then you know you have perfected your skills.

Also the fact that you can make a $200 AG camping set for $10 (plus fabric cost) is basically amazing. You are going to be making quite the little pile of Disney spending money once you open up your shop!
 
First off the graduation dress is adorable! Glad it fits finally! I have a second interview for a really great sales job tomorrow, and I know who is doing my second interview! Yay! Thank you for the pixiedust:!!! My guesses are Signature- Le Cellier, Character- Tusker House, Table- Kona Café, Counter-Be Our Guest.
 
Gah! Just realized that it's Thursday again already and I haven't voted yet!!

OK, here are my picks for this next round:

Signature/Celebrity Chef
Le Cellier Steakhouse


Character/Dinner Show
Tusker House


Table Service
Kona Cafe


Counter Service
Be Our Guest


The graduation dress looks fantastic! And can't wait to see picks of your countdown calender. We're keeping our trip a surprise from the kids... so I'm a little bummed that we won't be doing one of our own.
 

Wow; just realized I didn’t guess my ADR’s so here goes I am back with the majority since going out on a limb didn’t work last time!!!
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall.
Chefs De France
Narcoosees


Tournament of Food
Signature/Celebrity Chef: Hollywood Brown Derby

Character/Dinner Show: Crystal Place

Table Service: Via Napoli

Counter Service: Be Our Guest


The dress looks great. Can't wait to see what you were able to complete this week.
 
Don't think I voted.... so here's my picks!

Le Cellier Steakhouse
Tusker House
Kona Cafe
Be Our Guest

Ta da! Karen
 
Hi Shannon,
Thanks for the well-wishes for my grandfather. He is doing better finally. Here are my votes for this week's match-ups:

Hollywood Brown Derby

Crystal Place ~ we did both CP and TH last trip and CP is still on top of our list. I'm still a little bitter that Donald doesn't do autographs there.

Kona Café~ another family favorite

Be Our Guest

So glad to hear that your grandfather is doing better. What a relief that must be!

Thanks for playing!

I somehow missed votes in the tournament this week. I love the dress you made though and am waiting for that Etsy Shop. Cannot wait to see Maddie's skirt. So happy that you are getting near countdown calendar time.

Thanks Kimberly! I actually bought some fabric to get started on Etsy bound projects. Haven't started them yet, but that's a start right? :rotfl:

Shannon,

Your are an amazing seamstress, I wish I could do it. I keep saying I'm going to make AG princess dresses for my DD but still haven't found the courage. We will be in WDW for a few days at the same time. :cool1: Hope the plans are coming together nicely. Love reading the trip report!

Thanks so much! You should try it-it really is rewarding! Maybe we'll run into each other!

Well, thankfully we didn't have to find out, but I was about ready to leave if Whispering Canyon would have lost in the first round. :rotfl2::lmao::rotfl:

:rotfl2:

Wow... It is certainly a good thing that you have some impressive sewing skills. Maddie's fashion sense for both herself and her dolls could get very expensive otherwise. :lmao:

Thank goodness I can sew. ;) Just you wait daddy...


Tournament votes

Le Cellier - Just so good. I even liked the mushroom risoto and I don't like mushroom risotto.

Crystal Palace - Tough vote. I like everything I've seen about Tusker, but just haven't worked it into our schedule yet. I've really enjoyed past experiences at CP though. One of my favorite buffets on property.

Via Napoli - Best. Pizza. Ever.

Be Our Guest - Wow... this is actually kind of close. Both have fantastic food and are a great QS credit value. I'll give the edge to BOG because it doesn't require a trip to DTD and the decor is so immersive.

Thanks for voting!

Aaargh! This one was tough!

Le Cellier Steakhouse
Crystal Palace
Via Napoli
Be Our Guest

What a cute graduation dress…and how lucky is she to have you to make it for her?!?

OMG, that AG stuff is SO expensive. My niece was deeply into Bitty Baby (do they still make her?), and I spent an exorbitant amount of moo-lah on that doll! :rotfl:

BTW, you can save PowerPoint slides as picture files. Just click “save as” and select “.jpg” from the list of file types. :goodvibes

Thank you! They do still have Bitty Baby. Thankfully Maddie didn't discover it when she was younger. We'd have gone broke!

I tried that! It didn't work for me, but I did take some photos of the finished products that I'll share in the next update!

What a beautiful graduation dress...nice job, Shannon.

My choices would be:

LeCellier v. Hollywood Brown Derby -- as much as we were very disappointed with LeCellier in 2011 (and now won't go back because we found Yachtsman), I'd still have to pick it because we did not like Brown Derby at all (very rude staff and bad food when we went)

I've never done a dinner buffet at Disney (except Biergarten and Chef Mickey's years ago), but you can never go wrong with Pooh and gang so I choose Crystal Palace

We've never done Via Napoli or Kona for dinner...but I think I'd choose Via Napoli (if only I could eat pizza and it didn't disagree with me :sick:)

Be our Guest v Wolfgang Puck Express...we've done Wolfgang and loved it; we've not done Be Our Guest but want to try it in December (won't have time the two trips before). Hmmm...I'm going to say Be Our Guest.

Have a great weekend.

Thanks Kathy! And thanks for voting!

They do have options without your dreaded red sauces. Just sayin...

:rotfl:

...and they are delish.

:lmao:

As I said on facebook, getting a little magic for Maddie is the least I can do if I’m not able to be creating it at the parks! Fingers crossed by the time your trip rolls around I’ll be hanging out with some very royal friends!

Onto the food:

Le Cellier!! I would probably eat there daily if I could, that filet is just too good!

Tusker House! I love CP, but REALLY don’t like dinner there, the food just isn’t up to par, and Tusker I’ve had amazing experiences at all meals, and their lunches have so much more variety in the buffet!!

Kona? Laawl. Just for the Tonga toast. I haven’t eaten at either, but am doing both this upcoming trip!! Eeek!

Counter service wise?? Hmmm….yeah, there’s no chance, Be Our Guest is the winner!

Super cute grad dress!! Man, you are doing so much!! All this sewing and trip prep ontop of life, craziness!!!

Katt you rock! You'll be an awesome CM someday! Thanks! It's a lot of work, but fun to do!
 
Le Cellier

Tusker House

Kona

Be Our Guest (really looking forward to dining here)

Thanks for voting Kimberly!

To answer your question, yes, we loved having the + option with Photopass. Last time we had bought one ride picture for 20$. This time, for only 25$ more, we had ALL our ride photos. Add to that the fact that you guys do lots of character meals where the picture is included in PP+. It makes it so worth it.


Signature/Celebrity Chef
Hollywood Brown Derby, since we had such a great experience there.


Character/Dinner Show
Tusker House, I thought CP was okay, but Tukser House looks even better.


Table Service
Via Napoli, Why are you doing this to me? How can I choose between my two favorite Disney restaurants????????? I think Via Napoli wins over Kona by a slight margin. If you were asking Ron, he'd vote for Kona for sure.


Counter Service
Wolfgang Puck Express, another hard vote. Though Be Our Guest is the most gorgeous restaurant, the food selection at WPE acually appeals to me more. Plus, I'm sure BOG will win without my vote, so might as well give some love to the underdog.

Thanks Mel! I am really excited that we'll get so many photos that we wouldn't have justified buying-especially since Maddie will be able to ride almost all of the 'big kid' rides!

I'm sorry to make this hard on you! It's gonna get worse though. :lmao:

Le Cellier Steakhouse
Tusker House
Via Napoli
Be Our Guest. You cannot go to Disney without eating here. And eating the Grey Stuff. And eating here. GAAAAAH just go here!

I hope to get some of the grey stuff-we'll be there right before my birthday! Thanks for voting!

Voting for Le Cellier, Crystal Palace (only because I've never been to TH), Via Napoli and Be Our Guest. :)

That dress is so cute!

Thanks Marissa!

Le Cellier

Tusker House

Via Napoli (officially craving pizza now!)

BOG - a very difficult choice. I LOVE WPE!!!

I could go for pizza too...:lmao:

Le cellier

Tusker House

Via Napoli (really want pizza now!)

BOG

Me too! Thanks for voting!

I vote for

Le Cellier
Tusker House!
Kona cafe
And Be our guest!

Wow that dress is gorgeous! At the risk of being extremely repetitive, you are so so amazingly talented!!

Ugh the AG prices are sky high! I remember them being ridiculously expensive when I was little so I can only imagine they've gotten worse since then! The only good thing is, for things you can't make yourself and do have to buy (which probably won't be much!), the stuff was always great quality. I remember when we were younger, there were some off-brands of things that my mom would buy once in a while but they never lasted as long as the real AG stuff!

Thanks so much Courtney! You guys are so kind to me!

It is really good quality stuff! I'm not ruling out buying stuff from AG at all, but some stuff we'll make. The stuff she has is great. The detail is amazing!

Cute graduation dress! I wish I could pull off something like that, but I have nothing up top to hold it up :rotfl::scared1:!

And after that stunning visual, let's vote.

Signature/Celebrity Chef
Le Cellier Steakhouse

Character/Dinner Show
Oh, gosh! I just don't know!!! I'm going with the one we're trying for the first time, though I don't think it will win...:confused3

Tusker House


Table Service
Kona Café--Even if their servers are on Island Time!


Counter Service
Be Our Guest

I just know this is going to get harder and harder!

Wanna know a secret? I tried the dress on to make sure that it was seamed in the right places, and had to 'stuff' the top with paper towels. :rotfl: So there's another great visual huh?

So, after pouring over your last TR, I finally got caught up on this one as well!! (I am the queen of "being late to any DISers PTR/TRs"..)

Since I am already out of the running for the Guessing Game, I thought I would weigh in on the TOURNAMENT instead!!

Here are my votes:
Le Cellier - we are steak lovers and I have heard nothing but great things about their food. We aren't signature folk by any means, so I likely wont have the opportunity to eat at either place. :sad:

Tusker House - I love the characters in their AK gear and the decor in that place is beyond amazing..

Kona Cafe - I have allergies and VN doesn't have very many dishes that I can eat (I can't even try the pizza :sad1:), but who doesn't love a KC breakfast?? I booked one at the last minute for my upcoming June trip and couldn't be more excited!

BoG - I will make the attempt this trip to eat here...early bird (hopefully) catches the worm! I think I have read enough TRs to have the system figured out...we shall see...


Thanks again for sharing your plans!!! Pumped to read more!!

So glad to have you join in! You're right on time!

I think we're going to try lining up super early for lunch at BoG. From what I can tell, that's the best way to get in without a huge wait.

LOVE that dress! I can't wait for your Etsy shop to open!

As for voting:

Signature/Celebrity Chef

2. Le Cellier Steakhouse

Character/Dinner Show

7. Tusker House - such unique flavors here!

Table Service

2. Via Napoli

Counter Service

2. Be Our Guest- though the wait may not be fun!

Thank you so much!! I'm hoping it'll be soon!

The wait for BoG sounds awful, but we're hoping that it won't be terrible at 10:30 am or so. Fingers crossed!

First I love the graduation dress! Madison would flip over that!

Second, Maddie is so lucky to have a talented mom that can sew and save money!! :goodvibes




I know the feeling!! I did manage to finish it up this week and that felt like a huge accomplishment! :rolleyes:



Signature/Celebrity Chef: Le Cellier
Character/Dinner Show: Tusker House
Table Service: Via Napoli
Counter Service: Be Our Guest

Thank you so much! That's a HUGE compliment!

Thanks for voting!

That is a really cute dress.

My picks this week are.

Le Cellier Steakhouse
Crystal Place
Via Napoli
Be Our Guest

Thanks so much!

OMG!!!!

that dress is BEAUTIFUL!! My MIL is a sewer/knitter/stitcher and I just like to make "fake" blankets!! you know, where you take 2 pieces of material, sew the edges together and TA-DAH, its a blankie?? :lmao:

and we moved into a rental house last weekend (we're building a house and it wont be ready until the end of July and we sold our house too quick!!) and my DH took his sweet time getting the computer hooked back up and I thought that I was behind a week in my ADR guesses and PHEW..it looks like Im still good..

so.....my votes are for:

ADRs:
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
Chefs De France
Chef Mickey


Signature/Celebrity Chef
Le Cellier Steakhouse - I know that not everyone loves it, but we do!!

Character/Dinner Show
Crystal Place - our FAVORITE b'fast place - and you can get into the park when its empty - great photo ops!!

Table Service
Via Napoli - OMG...I almost died when I went there..the food was SOOOO good..I had that artichoke pizza...I just cant explain how good that was....

Counter Service
Be Our Guest - its on my list for the next trip! and I'll need to be celebrating so I can get some grey stuff!!

and I dont have girls (just 2 boys) but I have a niece who would LOVE some of your fabulous Maddie clothes - so let us ALL know when you open the Etsy store!!

:dance3:

Artichoke pizza? Clearly I didn't read the menu closely enough-that sounds like heaven!

Thanks so much! Etsy should be happening sooner rather than later-I picked up some fabric to get started.

How stressful! You know I feel your pain with the multiple move/rental situation. I hope it goes by quickly for you!

LOVE the water parks. Typhoon Lagoon is the family fave and much more relaxing, however, Blizzard Beach was way more child friendly for the under 10 set. Surprisingly there was tons for Kaitlin to do at Disneyquest too. She loved it there. can't wait to hear what you decide.

That's awesome! We're really excited to try the water parks, and we hope to make time for DisneyQuest-Bryan's really excited about it!

Be careful with the restaruant photos. Most will just add it to your card onsite, but by fluke only we realized that 1900 did not add to the card but instead had a code printed on the receipt and we had to take the receipt and the card to one of the Kodak places to upload. Maybe this has changed since September but that's how it was for us. just make sure you aske when they deliver the photo's to be sure you have your digital copies.

Other than that I can't recommend Photo Pass + enough if you are a picture taker. (And we all know you are!) Other than the one issue it was so easy to use and I swear (no proof) that when the photographers saw it was a plus, they took more time and took more pictures. Also, we got WAY more ride photos than we ever would have.

You get your voucher in the mail (don't lose it or you are out of luck) with a cd full of stock photos. (Still have one as my background on my computer). Once you are there you get your lanyard (which I did lose and they were able to not only replace it but found ALL of my pictures to put back on on it.) Once you are home you have the option of downloading all photos to your computer or ordering the cd.

As for time the kodak booths are open, hopfully someone else has a confirmation but they only seemed open to me when everything else was open. Good for EMH not so confident on early ADR's. There are some hotels that will redeem too depending on where you are staying. Man, I think I need to start planning at 2014 trip. Is it too early????

Thanks so much for all the info! I think we'll just ask at every restaurant if we have the copies-that's a great tip.

We don't have an early ADR on our first day, so that won't be a problem. I am however super stressed that I'll loose our voucher or that I'll forget it. There has to be a better way! :rotfl:
 
This week's match-ups are:

Signature/Celebrity Chef


2. Le Cellier Steakhouse vs. 7. Hollywood Brown Derby
I haven't tried either, but I'm a vegetarian, so the steak house is out!


Character/Dinner Show


2. Crystal Place vs. 7. Tusker House
I want to try TH, but I already know I love CP. We have had 2 CP dinners and this year are adding breakfast to our list, the puffed french toast looks good enough to blow a lot of character meals out of the water.


Table Service


2. Via Napoli vs. 7. Kona Cafe

Another where we have not tried either, however I have a VN ADR this trip that replaced a KC ADR, so I guess I want to try one more than the other!

Counter Service

2. Be Our Guest vs. 10. Wolfgang Puck Express

I am SURE that BoG is going to win this, and let's face it, on the theming alone, a win is most likely deserved. That said, I have such a love for WPE! A CS meal served on real plates is a winner in my book. We will be lining up to try BoG this trip for lunch, so I could very well be converted, but right now I have to go with old Wolfgang.

Thanks for voting! I think you'll love Via Napoli. It was OUTSTANDING!

That dress is SO CUTE! You know how you can tell when a seamstress/designer is really good? When their creations don't look like homemade craft projects. I mean sometimes the homemade look is what you are going for, but when you can create a dress that looks like it came right out of a pricey boutique, not to mention is "cool" enough for a teenager to wear..then you know you have perfected your skills.

Also the fact that you can make a $200 AG camping set for $10 (plus fabric cost) is basically amazing. You are going to be making quite the little pile of Disney spending money once you open up your shop!

Is okay to say that I love you? :lmao: Honestly that is the nicest compliment I've ever gotten about my sewing. Whenever I make stuff I ask myself if Tim Gunn would say it "looks home sewn". So to have you say that is the nicest thing ever. THANK YOU!!!!

First off the graduation dress is adorable! Glad it fits finally! I have a second interview for a really great sales job tomorrow, and I know who is doing my second interview! Yay! Thank you for the pixiedust:!!! My guesses are Signature- Le Cellier, Character- Tusker House, Table- Kona Café, Counter-Be Our Guest.

Thank you! I hope the interview went well!

Gah! Just realized that it's Thursday again already and I haven't voted yet!!

OK, here are my picks for this next round:

Signature/Celebrity Chef
Le Cellier Steakhouse


Character/Dinner Show
Tusker House


Table Service
Kona Cafe


Counter Service
Be Our Guest


The graduation dress looks fantastic! And can't wait to see picks of your countdown calender. We're keeping our trip a surprise from the kids... so I'm a little bummed that we won't be doing one of our own.

Thanks for voting!

I'll share some pics of the countdown calendar in the next update. Honestly I kind of wish we were surprising her again though. That was the BEST! Make sure to get video!

Wow; just realized I didn’t guess my ADR’s so here goes I am back with the majority since going out on a limb didn’t work last time!!!
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall.
Chefs De France
Narcoosees


Tournament of Food
Signature/Celebrity Chef: Hollywood Brown Derby

Character/Dinner Show: Crystal Place

Table Service: Via Napoli

Counter Service: Be Our Guest


The dress looks great. Can't wait to see what you were able to complete this week.

Thanks for playing! Unfortunately I didn't get a ton accomplished this week, but I'll share!

Don't think I voted.... so here's my picks!

Le Cellier Steakhouse
Tusker House
Kona Cafe
Be Our Guest

Ta da! Karen

Thanks Karen!
 
It's very late Thursday, so you know what that means! It's Tournament of Food Time!!!


Last week we got into our second round match-ups and while it's getting harder to choose, the votes were all pretty clear. The Character and Table Service Regions were both within 5 votes, but the Counter Service and Signature regions were landslide victories.

Here we go!


Signature/Celebrity Chef

The filet with mushroom risotto and cheddar cheese soup with pretzel bread at 2. Le Cellier were too much for the cobb salad and grapefruit cake at 7. Hollywood Brown Derby. Le Cellier won by a clear margin.





Character/Dinner Show

This was a tougher battle between the venerable standby 2. Crystal Palace and the young upstart 7. Tusker House. Turns out the new kid has a few things going for it because Tusker House pulled off an upset victory.





Table Service

2. Via Napoli proved too much for 7. Kona Cafe, and pulled off a solid win.





Counter Service


It's no real surprise, but 2. Be Our Guest proved to be a real contender for the final four by trouncing 7. Wolfgang Puck Express.






Here's how things look now





And for next week's battles:


Signature/Celebrity Chef

3. Artist's Point vs. 6. Narcoossee's


Character/Dinner Show

3. Cindrella's Royal Table vs. 6. Hoop Dee Doo Revue



Table Service

11. Whispering Canyon Cafe vs. 14. Rose and Crown


Counter Service

3. Sunshine Service vs. 6. Earl of Sandwich


Remember to vote for your favorite, or the place you'd most like to try! I'll be back next Thursday with the results!
 
Narcossees

CRT

WCC

Earl of Sandwich (looking forward to trying this one)
 
On Day 5 of the trip we'll finally make it to Epcot! I know many will probably think we're crazy, but Epcot just doesn't hold the appeal of the MK or DHS for the littlest member of our travelling party.

We'll start off the day with breakfast at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (anyone who guessed Akershus got a point regardless of the meal time. I know I said that the specific meal was required, but quite honestly I can't remember if I've adhered to that the whole time-so points awarded! :cool1:) We've never been wowed by Akershus, but it has princesses, so we'll be there.


from last year's breakfast



Once we're done with breakfast we'll head into Future World where our To Do list includes Soarin', more than one ride on Test Track, (haven't decided if we'll FP TT on the way to Soarin, double back and ride TT standby, and then use our FP or what. Any suggestions?), Nemo, and Turtle Talk. We'll likely also hit the Character Spot now that Maddie knows it exists, and maybe take a ride on Spaceship Earth. There's a good chance that we'll spend an inordinate amount of time in Mousegears as well. :rotfl:

Around 11 we'll make our way toward World Showcase. I plan to use the Agent P missions to make WS more palatable for Maddie who barely tolerates afternoons spent there. We've never done the missions in WS before though. Where do we pick up our mission thingies? Can we get more than one at a time? Maddie is really into Phineus and Ferb these days, so I'm hoping that she'll get into it and let us explore WS a little more than she has in the past.

Anyway, characters on the agenda will be Mulan and Belle for certain, and probably Snow White. Anyone else that we squeeze in will be up to the little one of course, but I'd like to meet Fiesta Donald (doesn't that sound more fun than Mexican Donald?) And if we have to keep the peace we may introduce Maddie to It's a Small Mexico!

For lunch we'll be dining at Les Chefs De France! We're excited to try it, and if things go according to plan Maddie will be very excited to "meet" Remy! The CM helping me make my reservations checked Remy's schedule and said as long as we're seated close to our ADR time we should be in good shape to see him!

It's anyone's guess how long we'll last into the afternoon. I have a sneaking suspicion that Maddie will be pushing for pool time.

I do know that our Park Hoppers will come in handy, because for dinner we're making our way back to the Magic Kingdom for our dinner ADR at Be Our Guest! Thanks to the Disney Channel running near constant promos for New Fantastyland, Maddie is jumping out of her skin to see Be Our Guest. She's really, really excited that we'll be dining there twice!

Thanks to all of you that made guesses in the Guess My ADR Game! Here's your clue for the next round: On Day 6 we'll be visiting our first water park. We have 2 ADR for this day. One breakfast, one dinner, and both at resorts. Restaurants that you can still choose from are in black, the one's that have been revealed are in red. Good luck and thanks for playing!


1900 Park Fare

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

Be Our Guest

Chefs De France

Chef Mickey

Cinderella's Royal Table


Fulton's Crab House


Hollywood and Vine

Liberty Tree Tavern

Mama Melrose

Narcoossee's

Ohana


Ohana

The Plaza

Tusker House

Yachtsman Steakhouse

And the updated points totals. It's a close race!


 
I don't really have a sewing or a shopping update for you this week, but I do have a whole lot of mishmash!

First, some good news! I officially paid off the trip and ordered PP+ today! I was surprised to find out that PP is now ordered through the reservation agent CMs rather than just through the website. I've always used the site, and I wouldn't have found out that the agents do it now if I hadn't told the super friendly CM that was all I had left to do for the trip. Having it all paid for makes it seem way more real, and I'm only a few days from online check in!

As for sewing, all I have left to do on the graduation dress is press it, but I don't have more pics because I just finished it! The trim on this dress is literally some of the most challenging I've ever attempted to sew. I spent the better part of 3 hours getting it on there! The fabric is cut for the AG tent, but I haven't had the time to start sewing the panels. :sad1: I still owe Maddie at least 4 shirts for the AG doll, but those come together quickly so I hope to have them done this week too.

I did buy some fabric to make a few dresses that I intend to use when I launch my Etsy shop though! I think they'll turn out really cute, so I'm excited to get started on them.

On Wednesday Maddie and I ran several hours worth of errands. While I was getting my hair cut she had my phone and apparently learned how to take selfies







And since we were at the mall we popped into the Disney Store where she just had to have this shirt. She wore it proudly for 'purple day'




After that we ran to Target to get some Cheerios and socks (is everyone else's Target list as random as mine?) We of course had to wander through the girls' department where we found this




She loves it! And, she totally intends to be that guy who's wearing a poncho on Splash and Kali.


To make the week even better, yesterday this was delivered







Since we're flying Southwest (where bags fly free!) this year, we simply didn't have enough luggage to haul all of Maddie's gear anymore. She's beyond excited to have her own suitcases, and declared immediately that they bags are large enough to accommodate even the super poofy Cinderella wedding dress that she wore for Halloween. :scared: Honestly, Bry and I need new luggage as well. We bought ours before we got married and since we bought really inexpensive stuff it's seen better days. The last 3 trips we've taken suitcases that don't have zipper pulls any more. I'll be shopping around for some new stuff for us too.

And finally, we finished up the countdown calendar this week as well! We decided to start it at 45 days this year. Each day she'll rip off a page to color (each featuring a different character, park, or ride) and then she'll write a sentence or two about what she's looking forward to doing at WDW ('cause I'm that mom). We'll save them all and put them all together to save when the trip is over.

Here are a few of the pages. I'll share more as they get pulled and colored. Also-I have all the files saved in Powerpoint. If anyone is interested in them I'd be happy to email them to you, or let you know how we made them!



















Thanks for letting me share! Have a great week everyone!



 

Thank goodness I can sew. Just you wait daddy...
Hey, at least I know who to PM now. :rotfl2::lmao:

I do know that our Park Hoppers will come in handy, because for dinner we're making our way back to the Magic Kingdom for our dinner ADR at Be Our Guest!
:scratchin Totally did not see that one coming. Well played.

And you asked about the Agent P missions. They have a kiosk on the walkway to World Showcase and then in Norway and Italy to get the phone. You could probably get more than one, but you really won't need to


On Wednesday Maddie and I ran several hours worth of errands. While I was getting my hair cut she had my phone and apparently learned how to take selfies
Uh oh... I hope your phone has enough memory. We all know she certainly isn't camera shy. :rotfl2::lmao:

She loves it! And, she totally intends to be that guy who's wearing a poncho on Splash and Kali.
I'll give anyone wearing a princess dress a free pass. :rotfl2:

Each day she'll rip off a page to color (each featuring a different character, park, or ride) and then she'll write a sentence or two about what she's looking forward to doing at WDW ('cause I'm that mom). We'll save them all and put them all together to save when the trip is over
Wow, I'm impressed. I like that idea. Where did you find that picture for day 33?


ADR Guesses:
Ohana
I know it has to be Narcoossees or 1900 PF. So I guess I'll flip a coin.
Narcoossees


Tournament:
Artist Point: We've already established the fact that I love Wilderness Lodge and am a snob towards the GF snobs. No surprise here.
CRT: This is a tough one. I almost voted Hoop De Doo, but I think I would still like to eat in the castle one of these days. Actually I think next trip, DD will be 2 and we might actually do this.
Whispering Canyon: Endless supplies of ribs and chicken. Bottomless milkshakes. They even have fish. R&C has nothing on WCC.
Sunshine Seasons: Tough match up. These are 2 well loved CS places that my family as a whole doesn't really care too much for. I do like the convenience of Sunshine Seasons for grabbing a quick snack and the fact that you can find lots of fresh fruit and items like that.
 
My picks for the week are:

Artist's Point
Cindrella's Royal Table
Whispering Canyon Café
Earl of Sandwich




I love your countdown that's a cute idea.
 
I truly do not know how you do it all...I get tired just reading what you do.

Cheerios and socks? Now that is a strange combination. :rotfl2::rotfl2:

This weeks picks from me if I had to choose eating at one or the other would be:

Artist's Point v. Narcoossee's -- we have never done either, but I do want to try Artist's Point (probably our December trip) and have no interest in Narcoossee's -- so Artist's Point wins for me

Cinderella's Royal Table v. Hoop Dee Doo Revue -- again have done neither, but being you have a princess and I like princesses -- Cinderella's Royal Table wins here

Whispering Canyon Cafe v. Rose and Crown is an easy one. ROSE AND CROWN A MILLION TIMES OVER WCC. We ate at WCC once and you could not pay us to go back. Rude hostess, boring waitress and really bad food (so bad that Mark got sick on it and we know it was the food because of what he ate that I didn't)

Sunshine Seasons v. Earl of Sandwich -- Earl of Sandwich by a long shot.

Have a great weekend.
 
Ok time for some voting Signature-Narcossees, Character- Cinderella's Royal Table, Table- Whispering Canyon, and Counter- Earl of Sandwich. As for the reservations for your waterpark day I am guessing Ohana and 1900 Park Fare. Maddie's luggage is adorable as well as her poncho! Yes my target list is usually super eclectic, kids underware, yogurt, dog treats and tea bags! Just an example! So I have had one phone interview and two sit down interviews and a call from HR yesterday, they still have not offered me the job but I am getting closer everyday! I had to get five email references and have to go get drug test and background check done. Not worried about any of these things but time consuming! Thanks for the pixiedust:
 
Guess your ADR's


Ohana and 1900 park fare

Artist's point

CInderella's Royal Table - went here once when i was like 10. Loved the view from the castle

Whispering canyon cafe - funny antics

Earl of Sandwich - sandwiches!
 




That's awesome! We're really excited to try the water parks, and we hope to make time for DisneyQuest-Bryan's really excited about it!



Thanks so much for all the info! I think we'll just ask at every restaurant if we have the copies-that's a great tip.

We don't have an early ADR on our first day, so that won't be a problem. I am however super stressed that I'll loose our voucher or that I'll forget it. There has to be a better way! :rotfl:

I was religous about putting that thing around my neck and anal about keeping track of it. To this day none of us knows how the heck I lost it. I know about when and where, just know how.
 
Here are my picks:
Signature/Celebrity Chef

Narcoossee's: It gets pretty good reviews. Lately Artist Point has been sort of "meh" for some people.

Character/Dinner Show
3. Cindrella's Royal Table: Love eating in the castle, and I've enjoyed my food there too. Too bad it's gotten to the point where I'm going to have to cut off my right arm for payment!

14. Rose and Crown: Tough call on this one, but I find the Rose and Crown menu more appealing.

Counter Service
6. Earl of Sandwich: Love this place!

I love your countdown calendar! What a great idea for her to color in the pictures and write a sentence about them. Yes, I am a teacher! :rotfl:
And also? I am in love with Maddie's luggage. I would like it for myself!
 














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