College Graduation = Disney Celebration. UPDATE 5/11

[ilovecupcakes]

Hi there Let me start out by saying this is my first post on the forums so hello to everyone, and I apologize in advance if I screw something up on here!

Brief introductions: I am D and live in NJ. I have become addicted to these boards in the past week and finally decided to register. Thanks to everyone who posts such helpful advice and tips and who share their fun trip stories. You have helped me out a great deal so far!

So, the interesting part. How the trip to WDW came about...
I graduate from college (finally!) on Sunday May 17th of this year. I had a rather large high school graduation party, so my parents and I thought we should go on a vacation instead after this graduation. We talked and thought the three of us (I am an only child) would go away somewhere together. We thought about the Carolinas, an island, etc etc. My dad is not a Disney fan How could you not be, right?

Anyway, we decided it would be ridiculous amounts of fun if we went to Disney. Dad decided, on his own, it would be a nice idea if just us girls went away. For some reason, my mother seems to think this is the last time she will be able to go on vacation with her daughter. She's silly. So thus the WDW college graduation celebration was born...and we cannot be more ecstatic

Our Disney Background:
This will be my 6th time at WDW. I believe this will also be mom's 6th. Mom was there in the 70s with her girlfriends and also all the times I have visited. I will eventually post the dates, but briefly I had been there:
in 92 or 93 for the first time with my parents
3 times as a "temporary cast member" (I totally made up that title) as a dancer with my dance group. All three times we danced on the Tomorrowland Stage in MK
High school senior trip in 2005

We LOVE Disney. Mom has not been since my last trip with dance. She is long overdue


The Disney freaks attending this vacation...
Mom (R)
Myself (D)

*Our vacation happens to overlap one of my very best friend's vacation with a friend of her's and her mom. We will be doing lots of Disney-ing together.

When the magical event will occur...
May 18-May 23, 2009

Our resort accomodations...
POP Century Resort (first time staying here!)

Our ADRs...
Nine Dragons on May 18
California Grill on May 20
Mama Melrose on May 21

We are hoping to dine at the PTC with our friends we are overlapping our vacation with on the 19th, but we have to see how that works out! We are probably most excited about the food. We come from an Italian family, so we can't help it.


Our Itinerary...
I couldn't help but make an itinerary. I love planning!

Monday
We should arrive in Orlando around 9:25. Should only take about 2 hours or so from Philly.
Epcot, Nine Dragons

Tuesday
DHS, hopefully lunch or dinner with our friends

Wednesday
MK, California Grill & Wishes fireworks

Thursday
Captain Cooks in the Polynesian for breakfast (Mom is hoping to try that Tonga Toast!)
DHS, Mama Melrose, hoping to see Fantasmic (we dont have the package dinner

Saturday
pack and return home

I purposely left out Friday on the itnerary while typing this. I originally had on our schedule to go back to MK and perhaps Downtown Disney. I was informed yesterday, however, that mom had other ideas in mind!! SURPRISE ideas

In the next update...
The awesome surprise from mom that she told me about because she didn't want it to "screw up your itinerary!"
Scanned pictures of our previous Florida trips?
Whatever else I can think of!


Even if no one really reads this, it's nice to keep it almost as a journal for mom and I. Kudos to you if you read this far and thanks

[ilovecupcakes]

So continuing from my last post....

Mom attempted to surprise me with something, but she felt bad "interrupting the itinerary" that I completed pretty much the minute she decided we should go to Disney. A couple of days ago she says to me, "So I was looking online at the tours you mentioned before....and I think we need to take the Backstage Magic Tour...."



I was floored. I originally wanted to do this as a thank you to mom for taking me on this trip, but I didn't know where I was going to find 400 plus dollars in the next two months. (If you haven't noticed already, this is a rather last minute trip!) I am very thankful and appreciative towards my mom (and dad) for this. I have been to Disney enough times now I think to finally experience the, for lack of better words, magic behind it all. We are, needless to say, RIDICULOUSLY excited about this portion of our trip.

Details:
We are taking this trip on our second to last day in WDW. According to the trip's itinerary, we begin at 9am in Epcot and are served lunch at WCC. We have never been here, so this is also something new and exciting for us. When mom booked the tour, she was asked if she was celebrating anything. Mom said, "Well, it's a celebration to me...my daughter is graduating college." The operator, very cheerfully, said that was wonderful and we will just have to celebrate it all week long. Not sure what this means but sounds good to me!

In other updates, I have been reading about touring each park in what I am referring to as the 'chunking method.' That is, arrive at the parks at rope drop, fast pass and ride rides alternatively, have an early lunch, take an afternoon break at the hotel, then return in the evening for our dinner reservations and whatever else we feel like doing. My question is (if anyone is actually reading this!) is this okay for adults? The way I understood and read everything, most people that do this have children and/or have large parties. It is just my mom and I, and at the very most, 3 other people (our friends I mentioned in the previous post). Please post your thoughts on this

Dining update...
One of my very dear friends I mentioned in the previous post informed me that we have dining reservations on Tuesday with her and her party at the PTC, so we're in! Not sure if I said this before, but my mom and I were trying to eat at places we never have before on our vacation. PTC is one of them, and we are looking forward to it.

Some things I plan on doing before the vacation...
Whilst I cannot contribute much to this vacation monetarily (hey, I am a poor student teacher!) I did promise my mom that she will be treated to a pedicure and, if she chooses, a manicure the Saturday before we leave. She usually gets one pedicure a year, and it's before we go on any kind of vacation. This one might even have to be a Mickey pedicure. I also have another surprise or two up my sleeve, but I will not divulge them in case Mommie Dearest is reading this!

In keeping with the theme of trying new things on this vacation....
I have been researching and reading about places neither one or one of us has been to while at WDW. I am compiling a list of ideas for us to do. Feel free to make suggestions. so far we are interested in:
Pastries at the Bakery in the France Pavillion
Margaritas in Mexico
Grand Marnier Slushies in France (!!!)
Pretzels in Germany
Tune In Lounge in DHS for drinks
Aloha Isle for Pineapple dole (mom is crazy interested in this one)
Mainstreet Bake Shop

Also, we love our cofffee, and I am deeply disheartened by people saying how terrible the "coffee" (aka Nescafe) tastes. I was not a coffee drinker when I visted about 4 years ago but have become one since. Last time mom was there, she said she didn't mind the resort coffee and filled her refillable mug every morning before heading out to the parks. SO just in case the unfortunate happens (the coffee is absolutely NOT drinkable), we have the following in mind for coffee (and well, we'll probably go here anyway because like I said...we love coffee!)
Fountain View and Espresso Bakery in epcot
Starring Rolls Bakery
The Writer's Stop
Mainstreet Bake Shop

Please, please if someone is reading this, feel free to add your coffee suggestions. Thank goodness this site exists. I feel like I am going to Disney for the first time!

Woo that is it for now!

[jerzyzkat119]

lolol i love you...

sadly no one read my ptr either haha

but the plans sound wonderful to me

ohhh and grand marnier slushies -- FABB

and omg backstage tour? lucky! we wanted to do this but chose the other two instead.

[ilovecupcakes]

I decided to write another update. My mom and I looked through the dining plan to try and understand it a bit better. We are trying to get the best out of our dining plan as possible

We are thinking the following...

Monday
CS-- lunch at POP or Cantina de San Angel
Snack-- Epcot or POP
TS-- Nine Dragons

Tuesday
CS-- POP for breakfast. (If we don't do a large breakfast here, we will either use a snack or pay out of pocket)
Snack-- DHS
TS-- PTC

Wednesday
Snack-- POP for breakfast (if it's something small, we will just buy it)
CS-- something in MK. We're thinking Pecos Bill or Cosmic Rays
TS-- California Grill

Thursday
CS-- Captain Cooks
Snack-- DHS or POP
TS-- Mama Melrose for dinner

Friday
snack-- POP, or out of pocket if something small
lunch at WCC as part of the Backstage Magic Tour
CS-- (most likely) Columbia Harbour House. The pictures I have been seeing of the Anchors Away Sandwich have convinced me that I must go here!
We won't be using a TS credit since we needed two for the California Grill, so lunch through the BSM Tour works out perfectly

As I stated before, we are very much looking forward to the food and drinks. I have been very much enjoying reading DISers dining reviews.

In other boring (not to me ha) updates....
I saw a picture of these flip flops that looked totally comfy. I hunted them down at my local Macys, but they didn't have the color I needed them in. When I looked online, the color and size I wanted were NOWHERE to be found. I looked on all sorts of places with no luck. Finally I tried ebay. The normal person would have thought to look here first, but I have never been a huge fan of ebay, however, when I searched for my size and color...someone had them! So they were finally delivered to my house earlier this week, and I am so excited. (If by some miracle someone is actually reading this, the shoes I am talking about are the Crocs Capri style. Never in my life did I ever dream I would be buying any type of Crocs shoes, but lo and behold, here we are).

I believe that is all. We have 46 days to go and could not be more excited. I still have some things to buy beforehand, but we have plenty of time for that. For now, I will continue reading these boards and living through others!

[ilovecupcakes]

So, I am sitting here late at night (or early morning, when I should be going to sleep. However, due to my obsession with these boards lately, I thought I'd update with menu items. As I stated earlier, mom and I are all about food and drinks on this trip. Not quite sure why. Maybe the thought of my impending school loans looming in the horizons after graduation has caused me to think of nothing but alcoholic beverages? Possibly.

So anywho, I decided to look at the menus of the restaurants and pick out some of the entrees that sound good to me. So far, no one (besides one of my bestie's!) has commented on any posts, so if someone is reading this and wants to either recommend or not recommend something I point out, please feel free. The more information I have, the better!

SO here we go...

Nine Dragons in Epcot
Honey Sesame Chicken-- The pictures I have seen of this look so good, and I think I've heard good things. I typically do not eat this when ordering Chinese, as I tend to eat healthier options, but since I am on vacation I might have to splurge.
Sweet and Sour Pork-- I have only ever had sweet and sour chicken, and it was foreverrrr ago. Might have to try this instead.

50s PTC in DHS
Dad's Traditional Meatloaf--When I told my mom I was interested in this she responded, "What?? You have never expressed an interest in meatloaf in your life!" I'm not sure why, but the pictures I have seen of this just make me think I should try this. I have had meatloaf probably only once in my life, but this just calls my name, I think!
Olive Oil Poached Salmon-- Salmon is my favorite fish, but I really only eat it grilled. I once had it smoked, and holy smokes (no pun intended) it was nasty. I love brown rice pilaf, though, and it's a side on this one.

California Grill (online says the menu changes daily, so not really sure if I am ever really looking at accurate menu information online. I probably can't think much about this one)
Pan roasted grouper fillet-- Never had grouper, but I do like fish. Figured CG would be a good place to try something new.
Seared Scallops-- I love me some scallops! I don't eat white flour pasta, however, so not sure if this would be a good choice, as it comes with pasta on the side.
California Roll-- Okay, so I have never in my life had any kind of sushi...ever. I can't get past the idea of raw fish, sorry! However, it my recent research, I have found that the California Roll is NOT made of raw fish. Well, I love crab, and I also love avocado, so I am thinking perhaps I should attempt this while dining at CG? People talk about their sushi all the time, so I think it'd be a good place to try it!

Mama Melrose (I am a bit worried about this one. I come from a family who is 100% Italian and can cook their butts off when it comes to Italian food. I won't hold the standards on this place too high, but I did hear that the food is pretty decent).
Eggplant Napoleon-- I like eggplant but rarely get it out at a restaurant.
Parmesan Chicken-- I'd probably leave out the pasta.

Whispering Canyon Cafe
This is on the tour. I believe the skillet is ordered, and everyone shares it family style.

That's about it for now. I just kept thinking about this yummy food we'd be eating in about a month!

Happy Easter to anyone reading

[ilovecupcakes]

I am on Easter break from student teaching and decided to work at my summer job for a couple of days while home. Tonight after work, my mom pointed to the kitchen counter where the mail was... Mickey mailed us some important vacation information

There was a small booklet filled with various confirmations and coupons, insurance info, and luggage tags. That was very exciting to receive. Makes it all seem like the trip is just around the corner, which it is!

Aside from the exciting mail, I also created a trip journal of sorts to take with me on vacation. I was inspired by a very creative DISers trip journal, posted on the Disney Tips boards. She is very creative and artsy, and I was just so inspired to make one of my own. It's a bit too corny for some people, I'm sure, but it will serve as both a journal and organizer for all of our Disney information, receipts, confirmations, etc. I am excited to use it.

I also made a purchase for the trip by way of a Boscovs clearance sale. I got a Vera Bradley inspired back pack. It's super cute, despite being an obvious knock off. I will use it as a carry on and probably during our morning park trips. My mom also purchased a Vera Bradley mini hipster in a retiring color for a whopping 25 bucks online. Go, mom It's adorable and will be perfect for her, as she doesn't plan on taking much in the park with her.

I think that's about it for now. I am already thinking what I will possibly do when I get back from Disney, besides writing a trip report of course! The trip hasn't even come yet, and I am already thinking of my next trip. The boyfriend and I always said we would honeymoon in Disney when the time comes. Perhaps I will pretrip about that for the next ten years!

Til next time

On a side note...
It is a VERY sad day here in the Philly area. Long time Phillies family member Harry Kalas has died. I was walking to my car on my lunch break and called my boyfriend, K, when he gave me the news. He said, "I just read on ESPN that Harry Kalas died." I stopped dead in my tracks. I thought to myself, 'No, he didn't just say Harry Kalas.' This comes as a huge shock to us. Baseball in this city will not be the same, and I will certainly miss his voice. I will never forget hearing... "Swing and a miss! Struck him outttt! The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 World Champions of baseball!!!!" RIP, HK. You will be truly missed.

[ilovecupcakes]

Another update. After spending quite some time on the boards and thinking about the things mom and I are doing on this vacation, I realized, "Wowwww we are going to go through the parks a helluva lot faster than I am realizing!" As I may have stated before, this is my first time going with such a small group! The largest amount of people I will be touring with is 5, including one of my bestie's and her group. For the majority of the trip,however, it'll just be dear young mom and me! So that got me thinking about the itinerary and changing it around a bit to do more 'stuff'

Here is what it looks like as of now...this will change again and again and again once we're there, I'm sure!

Monday
-Arrival in Orlando
-check in POP
-Epcot (Nine Dragons and Illuminations)

Tuesday
-DHS Rope Drop
-afternoon break
-back to DHS for PTC with our friends
-Night time is open since there is no Fantasmic scheduled for this night. Drinks by the POP pool, perhaps?

Wednesday
-MK rope drop
-afternoon break
-Monorail or walk over to CG for ADR and Wishes

Thursday
-Poly for breakfast at Captain Cooks (Tonga Toast, anyone?)
-Downtown Disney for shopping
-back to room for a break
-DHS for Mama Melrose ADR and Fantasmic (we couldnt' get the package, so send , please! This would be our very first time seeing this show!)

Friday
-tour starts at Epcot and leaves at 9. We will be there about 15 minutes early.
-tour ends around 4, at the parade in MK
-break in room
-back to MK for Spectromagic (first time seeing it on this vacation) and Wishes in front of the castle
-back to the room to pack

Saturday
-Arrive back in the City of Brotherly Love


And...not like anyone is really reading this, but here are some pictures of my trip journal (posting the pics that don't show personal info!) Looking at this thing every day is what is getting me through these last weeks of my undergrad college career. Can't wait to see Mickey!
Shout out to the poster who inspired me to make one







YAY!! I really cannot wait. We are 34 days away from the Pixie Dust. Here is a picture of the countdown on the good ol' Frigidaire:



Yep, dad is well aware of the Mouse's presence in this house and has had the same face on since the start of my planning...
He will never understand the love! Oh well. More for me

It really is a good thing that teaching starts back up again tomorrow. i am frequenting these boards too much when I have SO much work to do before I graduate. Better hop to it!

Til next time

[mommytothreeboys]

Hi D! I'm here...followed you over from your post on my PTR!

A girl's trip sounds like so much fun! Lucky you!!

The only restaurant that you have listed that I have any experience with is the PTC....my DH and I ate there on our Disney honeymoon! It was 16 years ago so the memories are fuzzy...but we enjoyed it!

The Backstage Tour will be incredible! I love watching the Travel Channel shows when they do the Disney "behind the scenes" stuff! You'll have to post all about it when you get back!

My grandparents lived in Cherry Hill, NJ for a long time when I was little and I remember taking the train into Philly. My brother and sister-in-law now live just outside Philly in PA. We took the kids to Philadelphia a few years ago to do the "tourist" thing!

No AK on your itinerary? Not interested?? Just wondering!

Well, count me in for this PTR! I'll be gone for about 10 days soon...hmmmm, wonder why?????? ....but I'll be back to share in your excitement!

[ilovecupcakes]

Hi! Thanks so much for looking over here hee

We live very close to Cherry Hill! That is funny.

No, no AK on our itinerary this time. The last time I went to AK, I remember not being very interested in it, same with mom. Not really sure why because the only thing I remember from visiting AK a long time ago was passing out from a sun stroke. That might actually have something to do with it? lol

And PS- I am loving all the countdown activities you do with your sons. You seem like such a fun mom! I am sure your sons will never forget all of the very special things you've done for them to make your family vacations so exciting

[mommytothreeboys]

Originally Posted by ilovecupcakes

Hi! Thanks so much for looking over here hee

We live very close to Cherry Hill! That is funny.

No, no AK on our itinerary this time. The last time I went to AK, I remember not being very interested in it, same with mom. Not really sure why because the only thing I remember from visiting AK a long time ago was passing out from a sun stroke. That might actually have something to do with it? lol

And PS- I am loving all the countdown activities you do with your sons. You seem like such a fun mom! I am sure your sons will never forget all of the very special things you've done for them to make your family vacations so exciting

Thank you, that is very sweet! When I was growing up we didn't take big family vacations so this is a big deal for me...and I want it to be for them too!

Looking forward to joining in on your planning adventure!

[Lynn5700]

Hi D!!! Welcome to the boards.

Congrats on graduating College soon! Good for you!

Your trip sounds great so far.

[shordiebecka]

Hey! Congrats on graduating college from what college, might I ask? (UCONN Alumni here). Your plans look great so far!!!!!!

[carone0318]

Hey congrats on the graduating from college thing!

I work near Cherry Hill in Pennsauken, near the Cooper River.

I thin your trip sounds like fun.

Love Mama Melrose's - I love their Vodka Rigatoni!

Can't wait to hear about Nine Dragons, we aren't going there this time (our trip is in June), but I would like to get there eventually!

Bummer about Harry huh?!? Very sad in our area!

The tour sounds like fun, my kiddos are too young to do those yet.

[ilovecupcakes]

Hi D!!! Welcome to the boards.

Congrats on graduating College soon! Good for you!

Your trip sounds great so far.

Lynn, thank you! I cannot wait (for both graduation and the trip, that is!)

Hey! Congrats on graduating college from what college, might I ask? (UCONN Alumni here). Your plans look great so far!!!!!!

Thank you! I am graduating from a small liberal arts school in PA. They are known for their Education Department/Division, which is why I chose it. It's definitely not a name anyone would actually recognize ha

Hey congrats on the graduating from college thing! I work near Cherry Hill in Pennsauken, near the Cooper River. I thin your trip sounds like fun.
Love Mama Melrose's - I love their Vodka Rigatoni! Can't wait to hear about Nine Dragons, we aren't going there this time (our trip is in June), but I would like to get there eventually! Bummer about Harry huh?!? Very sad in our area!
The tour sounds like fun, my kiddos are too young to do those yet.

Thank you! I am familiar with the area near your work...well at least the mall! ha I am glad you enjoyed Mama Melrose, and vodka sauce with any kind of pasta is a favorite of my mom's, so I will tell her you recommended it. And strangely enough, our first choice for a dinner in Epcot was the San Angel Inn, but they were originally closed for renovations. Today, though, we heard they post poned the date, so we were able to call and switch the reservations to the original one we wanted. HOWEVER....I keep reading all of these negative things about the place, the food to be specific. I am regretting changing it, especially since we started to look forward to Nine Dragons. Oh well. We will stick with the San Angel. I am thinking that maybe people were expecting Mexican food like they serve in America but what they got is authentic Mexican We'll see I guess!


Thanks to everyone who read my report so far. I don't feel so lonely over here anymore!

[ilovecupcakes]

25 days!

I had to make a post today because it's the 25 day mark for our trip. Why today? Well, it just so happens that 25 is my favorite number

With each passing day I am looking forward to this vacation more and more. I am almost finished student teaching, and as much as I really do love it..I need a break. Lately, I've been coming home from school and feeling like this Keeping up with 28 full time kindergartners is no easy task. Especially when they are as bright and fast as these guys are!

My mom is also very, very ready to go away on vacation. It's time to go to a place far away from reality and RELAX.

In the midst of looking forward to everything about this trip, mom and I decided to make some changes. We originally wanted to eat on our first day in Epcot at San Angel Inn. We read on here about the refurb and chose Nine Dragons, instead. So we made our ADRs and started looking forward to ND. Last week, however, I read online about the refurb delay at San Angel, so we called and were able to score an ADR for Mexico instead of ND.

While I was sort of sad in the beginning that we won't be going to ND, since we started looking forward to it so much, I am glad we will be able to go with our first choice now. I have read a lot of negative reviews about the place, but I am hopeful. I am by no means a Taco Bell lover It seems to be more authentic Mexican food, which I enjoy, so I'm excited about the meal switch

Another update...my mom received her Vera Bradley mini hipster. I forget the name of the pattern, but it is super cute. It's just the right size for her, too. She doesn't need to carry a lot of things with her in the parks.

That's about it for now. 25 days til the trip and oh yeah only 24 days until I graduate

Until next time

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