September '09, 22nd anniversary at Pop. FINAL THOUGHTS DECEMBER 3RD

[racefanof88]

I was encouraged by a friend to get this PTR started. Thanks Wendy, I did need that little push .

My husband and I will be celebrating our 22nd wedding anniversary on October 3rd and I wanted to be at Disney and lucky for me they are having the free dining again this year and we bought APs last month .


So without further ado...............

Let's get the characters for this romantic trip all laid out.

First there is this guy

Dale is his name, and we have been together for 23 years. We will be celebrating our 22nd Anniversary on this trip. He is the sports fanatic.

Then there is this guy

He is Dallas, he will be coming on this trip with us. Let's face it, after 23 years romantic is when he brings me a coke when he gets one for himself .

Then there is me

Dana. I am as much a Disney fanatic as Dale is a sports fanatic. I love anything and everything Disney. I just bought all the Disney bathroom stuff and redid my bathroom .

We were just at Disney last month and it was a rain out. Kinda like a baseball game. The difference being when they cover the field in baseball it really does something, when it is pouring buckets of rain, the ponchos are basically useless .

We will be there September 26-October 3. I am getting excited about this trip now. I have got to come up with places for us to eat. I have a very picky crew.

[reyasmommy]

Wow! 22 years, congratulations! I'm sure you'll have a magical anniverary, can't think of any better place to celebrate!

[racefanof88]

Originally Posted by reyasmommy

Wow! 22 years, congratulations! I'm sure you'll have a magical anniverary, can't think of any better place to celebrate!

Yay my first reader. Thanks, sometimes it seems like yesterday then again................ My friends pick on my about going to Disney so much, but is there anywhere else to go?

[Leleluvsdis]

Can't wait to read more!!! I'm enjoying you TR and enjoyed your May TR, also can't wait to read how the free dining goes... hopefully one of these days I can convince dh to go during that time!!!

[racefanof88]

Originally Posted by Leleluvsdis

Can't wait to read more!!! I'm enjoying you TR and enjoyed your May TR, also can't wait to read how the free dining goes... hopefully one of these days I can convince dh to go during that time!!!

Thank you and thanks for coming over here. We were on the DDP last May but it wasn't free. The first time I went to Disney it was the end of September first of October. There was only 2 parks then, MK and Epcot, it was 1986, wow that was along time ago.

[disneydad1954]

Congrats on 22 years Dana. Hope your trip is great. My wife and I will be there Sept25-Oct3 celebrating our 30th anniversary. We are using the free dining plan. This is our 11th trip to WDW but first time on the dining plan.

[racefanof88]

When they offered free dining again this year I really wanted to go back. I was surprised to see that it was extended into October this year which really makes it great because it is a little cooler at the end of September into October. When I originally made the reservations I reserved Pop for the first week in October starting on October 2nd since the free dining plan went thru October 3rd and if you book your package before the special ends you get the special for the whole time. Anyway, Dale comes home and tells me that he couldn't take that week off because someone else had already asked for that time . So I called and changed our dates to September 28-October 3rd. No big deal. I am a nurse and work every other weekend and September 26 and 27 fall on my weekend to work. If we want the weekend off we have to get someone to work for us. Well, I have a good friend who said she will work for me . In fact she is at Disney this week, she left last Thursday and will be back Friday. We wanted a preferred room location since we were going to be on the DDP but Pop did not have any, so change it again. I changed it to ASMo. When I found out someone could work for me I called back and ASMo only had preferred rooms and we will have a car sooooooooooooooo change it again. Now we are in the ASSp in a standard room for 7 nights. We will leave early Saturday, September 26 and drive down. We have APs so we won't lose any time on our tickets.

Now I am doing the countdown to the day I can call and make my ADRs with the 90+10. I am at 17 days before I can call. So far I know we will be trying to get into the following.

The Plaza
Tony's Town Square
Le Cellier

We will do a character breakfast or dinner somewhere not sure yet. I know that it will not be CM. I am thinking about just paying for Dallas' food OOP because he is so picky he will want to order off the kids menu.

Has anyone heard anything about the on line reservation system for ADRs? I thought it was suppose to be up by now?

So, this is where we are right now if you read my last 2 PTRs you know this is not carved in stone .

[racefanof88]

Originally Posted by disneydad1954

Congrats on 22 years Dana. Hope your trip is great. My wife and I will be there Sept25-Oct3 celebrating our 30th anniversary. We are using the free dining plan. This is our 11th trip to WDW but first time on the dining plan.

WOW, congrats on 30 years. I hope you have a great trip too. Make sure you are ready to call and make your ADRs at your 90+10 mark. This is our first time for free dining, we paid for the DDP last May.

[racefanof88]

Sing this to the tune of the old Hee Haw song "Where oh where"

Where oh where are the September hours
How can they leave my planning undone
I searched the site over and thought I had found 'em
by the time they announce 'em all the ADRs'll be gone

Ok, very corney I know, but I want to make my ADRs in 16 days. I am holding my breath that I can get some of the good ones. I want CG and Le Cellier for sure. I chatted with a CM on line today and Artimus said he didn't know when the on line ADR page will be ready.

So I sit and I wait and I twittle my thumbs.

[Leleluvsdis]

I thinking waiting for hours and waiting to make adr's are the most taunting parts of planning... it's so close, but so far away!!!

[racefanof88]

Originally Posted by Leleluvsdis

I thinking waiting for hours and waiting to make adr's are the most taunting parts of planning... it's so close, but so far away!!!

It does get very frustrating . With it being during free dining I know it is going to be hard to get ADRs, but I will be on the phone at 7am in 16 days. I will just wing it and make the ADRs since we have APs we can park hop so that isn't really a big deal, it just helps so I will know what we are going to be doing each day.

[racefanof88]

I have decided we will eat at Narcoossee's for our siggie because Dale will eat steak or lobster. And they have grilled cheese on the kid's menu. I know we will be paying for most of Dallas' food oop at the TS places because he will only eat off the kids menu. We will be able to eat at more than one signature restaurant so we may do CRT because I want to eat in the castle. I wish my guys would eat more of a variety of foods, but oh well, I have to make the ADRs around them.

[racefanof88]

September hours are out. I now have a list of places to run by Dale. I will print out the menus so he can see what is on them and let me know which places he definitely wants to eat. Here is the list........

For our character breakfast I want to eat at one of these
Crystal Palace
CRT
Cape May
'Ohana
Hollywood and Vine
Tusker House
Boma
1900 PF

Table service ideas
Turf Club
Le Cellier
The Plaza
Tony's
The Wave
The GF Café
Olivia's
Whispering Canyon
Capitan's Grille

Signature ideas
Narcoosee's
Cali Grill
Yachtsman

Now I would love any and all ideas on these places. We have eaten at CP, Plaza, Tony's and Le Cellier, so we know they are good. I really want to try something new this time. I have 13 days before my 90 + 10 mark .

[Colleen27]

Originally Posted by racefanof88

For our character breakfast I want to eat at one of these
Crystal Palace
CRT
Cape May
'Ohana
Hollywood and Vine
Tusker House
Boma
1900 PF

Table service ideas
Turf Club
Le Cellier
The Plaza
Tony's
The Wave
The GF Café
Olivia's
Whispering Canyon
Capitan's Grille

Signature ideas
Narcoosee's
Cali Grill
Yachtsman

We've only done the ones in green.

Ohana breakfast was great. Easily the most fun character meal we've ever done, because Stitch was so perfectly Stitch and even my "too cool" 11yo loves him!

The Plaza is fabulous, especially for pickier eaters, but you know that since you've been there. I still dream about their brownie sundae!

Of the 3 signatures you have listed, I think Narcoosees and Yachtsman would be best for pickier eaters.

California Grill has a fairly basic steak option, but the rest of the menu is pretty creative and seasonal, so there might not be much for a picky eater to choose from. It was my favorite signature dinner, but that was largely for the sushi - not something that would appeal to the unadventurous!

Narcoosees has basic lobster, filet, and surf & turf, and was my meat-and-potatoes DH's favorite meal of our entire trip. Personally, I'd go back for the cheesecake alone! Not that my meal was disappointing - it was quite good - but I cheesecake and their almond crusted cheesecake is one of the best I've ever had.

Yachtsman was very good as well, but very much like nice steakhouses anywhere and not as "Disney" as CG and Narcoosees with their castle views. We enjoyed it, but I don't think we'll be back for a while because it just didn't have anything that made it stand out and there are so many other places I'd like to try.

[racefanof88]

Originally Posted by Colleen27

We've only done the ones in green.

Ohana breakfast was great. Easily the most fun character meal we've ever done, because Stitch was so perfectly Stitch and even my "too cool" 11yo loves him!

The Plaza is fabulous, especially for pickier eaters, but you know that since you've been there. I still dream about their brownie sundae!

Of the 3 signatures you have listed, I think Narcoosees and Yachtsman would be best for pickier eaters.

California Grill has a fairly basic steak option, but the rest of the menu is pretty creative and seasonal, so there might not be much for a picky eater to choose from. It was my favorite signature dinner, but that was largely for the sushi - not something that would appeal to the unadventurous!

Narcoosees has basic lobster, filet, and surf & turf, and was my meat-and-potatoes DH's favorite meal of our entire trip. Personally, I'd go back for the cheesecake alone! Not that my meal was disappointing - it was quite good - but I cheesecake and their almond crusted cheesecake is one of the best I've ever had.

Yachtsman was very good as well, but very much like nice steakhouses anywhere and not as "Disney" as CG and Narcoosees with their castle views. We enjoyed it, but I don't think we'll be back for a while because it just didn't have anything that made it stand out and there are so many other places I'd like to try.

Thanks for coming over.

Thanks for the advice . I printed out the menus for DH........... I think it is going to be Narcoossees because of the menu and the view. My DH won't try anything new so that kinda pushes CG way to the outside. And anyway, the cheesecake sounds great.

If your 11 yo liked Ohana then mine will too. I think it would be a lot more fun that the basic CM or CP. I don't think he would be real thrilled with 1900 PF. I LOVED The Plaza, I think it was my favorite last year. I had the chicken strawberry salad and it was so good. I can't remember what I had for dessert though. Tony's was good too.

Doesn't it feel like September is 100 years away? I keep looking at my countdown calendar and it isn't moving .