A Newlywed's Very Merry PTR! December 2013 Updated 5/5!!!

[Disney9.9.10]

All caught up!

You two look so sweet together!

Great choice with the Poly! I haven't stayed there since I was 5 and I would really love to stay there again.

I love the pictures of your dogs in the snow. My dog lovessss the snow. She will stay out there until she is shivering lol

It must also feel nice to be getting some of the stuff done in your house! We've lived in our house for 3.5 years and we are slowly plugging away at stuff, but it feels great when you get something accomplished.

[CtinaDitty]

Originally Posted by Disney9.9.10

All caught up!

You two look so sweet together!

Great choice with the Poly! I haven't stayed there since I was 5 and I would really love to stay there again.

I love the pictures of your dogs in the snow. My dog lovessss the snow. She will stay out there until she is shivering lol

It must also feel nice to be getting some of the stuff done in your house! We've lived in our house for 3.5 years and we are slowly plugging away at stuff, but it feels great when you get something accomplished.

Thanks! I'll be doing an update tonight when I get off work! Actually Disney-related! Haha! I have been feeling sick thinking I either had strep or mono but feel so much better today! I also have some exciting news to share as well!

[CtinaDitty]

So, I was doing some research at
work today about Pop Warner. I had a feeling since Thanksgiving was so late this year (November 28th) that Pop Warner would be the second week of December instead of the customary first week of December. Well, it is official...


In 2013, Pop Warner week will begin on December 7!
See the official link below!

http://yourfirstvisit.net/2013/01/13...13-december-1/

I am so very excited! December 7th is the day we leave so we shouldn't
have to deal with them! Yay! *Happy Dance* So, hopefully anyone else
planning their December trip will see this and it'll make their day as well!
*
When DH and I took our honeymoon back in July of last year, we went to
quite a few restaurants having the dining plan. Below are those that I can
remember and my review of them.
*
The Brown Derby: There is a reason this is listed first. It absolutely
made our honeymoon. We have decided that it will be a "must do" each
trip, even if it is a tad bit more expensive. They were the only restaurant
that made us feel special and even noted the fact we were celebrating our
honeymoon. We were upgraded from the Disney Dining Plan to the Deluxe
Dining Plan, giving free champagne with strawberries, confetti, as well as a
complimentary pass for the*Fantasmic Dining Package. The staff was
wonderful. Plus, the food was just... amazing. Best food my DH and I have
ever tasted. EVER.





Cinderella's Royal Table: I was actually very disappointed with this
meal to the point where I don't feel the need to do it again before we have
kids. It's an amazing experience, especially for kids, but the food was
mediocre and the selection was very small.





50's*Prime Time Cafe: I've eaten here before and DH was the one
who wanted to eat here on our honeymoon. It was just okay. I don't like
being told I had to eat my "greens" which I thought were
disgusting...*Devan ended up eating them for me.



Rainforest Cafe (AK): Rainforest Cafe has always been sort of a
tradition for my family when we go to AK. We almost always get it on the
way out of AK. We have a Rainforest Cafe in the KC area so it's not a place
we have to go to. It's just an easy choice. Hoping to branch out some this
trip.





The Wave: The Wave is a hidden gem, as noted by other DISers. It's
never crowded and the food is pretty good. We went twice on our
honeymoon. Once by choice and once because the resort felt bad and
offered us lunch there. It's a nice restaurant. Not a must-go, but definitely a
good place to sit down where there wont' be a wait.



Narcoossee's:*Narcoossee's was actually a last minute decision
because we were originally scheduled to visit Victoria & Albert's. The reason
we didn't get to go was because*Devan forgot his dress shoes and we could
not find any place near*V&A's that sold dress shoes that would match his
outfit (which was so handsome by the way), not even at DTD. So, we made
a decision to nix our fancy "last night of our honeymoon" dinner and go with
a little less fancy Narcoossee's. It was still a good meal, extremely
expensive, but good. It's not a must-do, but it's definitely a restaurant I
would visit again.



The Crystal Palace: We had breakfast here on our departure day and it
was so good. We got here before the park opened, got to wander around
Main Street until the restaurant opened, and had a great seat by the buffet.
Having pictures taken with Pooh and the Gang was great because I LOVE
Winnie the Pooh and*Eeyore is my favorite! I would not hesitate to eat here
again and hope to do it almost every trip before park opening.



Coral Reef: Funny story about the Coral Reef. Lost my birth control here
and actually got it back at the TTC. Could NOT believe it. Anyway, back to
the restaurant. It was actually pretty good. The scenery was beautiful with
the aquarium around you. We also had great seats and it was beautiful. Not
a must-do, again, but I wouldn't put up a fight to not eat here again.



Biergarten: We ended up sitting at a table with two people from our
hometown! It was actually pretty neat to sit there and chat about our Chiefs
or the shopping centers nearby. Anyway, the food was quite good. I'm a fan
of buffets so this pleased me and the DH.*

*
So, of all those restaurants, I will definitely try and make two reservations
again: The Brown Derby and The Crystal Palace. The rest, I don't feel are
must-do's. I will be making reservations at*O'hana for sure. I've heard such
amazing things about it PLUS we are staying at the Poly. How could we NOT
eat there?! Some other restaurants I am interested in include, but are not limited to:
*

• Tusker House (Breakfast)
• 
Hollywood & Vine
• 
Chefs de France
• 
Le*Cellier Steakhouse
• 
BE OUR GUEST!!!!!! :D
• 
Kona Cafe

• Spirit of Aloha Luau
• 
Artist Point
• 
Whispering Canyon

*
Those are just a few. Have any of you ever been to any of these? What were
your experiences?
*
I do have some great news to share on the home front. This past Tuesday, I
accepted a new job that is much closer to home! It's only a 10 minute drive
from my house (versus the 30 minute drive I currently have) and only two
minutes from my parents' house (for when they babysit after we have
kids)! It's going to be hard to leave a company I thought I'd make a career
with but this was a golden opportunity that I wasn't going to pass up. It's
similar to what I do now, but with more responsibilities and higher pay. I'm
very excited! My last day with my current company is next Friday, the 25th.
My first day with my new job is Monday, January 28th. I'm very excited
about this opportunity as it is a fantastic thing for myself and Devan.
*
I'd better get to cleaning up the house. My sister's baby shower is finally
here! This Saturday!! I'm hosting so I need my house to be spotless!*






Devan won't be home until 10 P.M. (apprenticeship school) so I have a lot of
time to get the cleaning done!

*
So, I'll leave you with that!

[CtinaDitty]

Well, after much thought and debate over the past year I have decided...

To be a Disney Visa Cardholder!!!

I chose the card "Pixie Dust" (picture below from Disney Visa website)



and should be receiving my card within 7-10 business days!! I ended up choosing the card with no annual fee even though you only get a $50 gift card after your first purchase. Well, I don't do cards with annual fees, which is the way the Disney Premier Visa went. Yes, you get a $100 gift card (after spending $500 in the first 3 months), but I figure I'd be spending more money trying to get that $100 gift card instead of getting the free card with a $50 gift card. I figure this will really help us save some money when booking our Disney tours (20% off!!) as well as merchandise discounts and such.

Anyway, SUPER excited!! Have a great Friday, everyone!!

[Disney9.9.10]

So jealous of your Disney Visa - we can't get them here!

I am really not impressed to learn that Pop Warner is going to be there on the 7th. I may have to rethink some things if we decide to go in December lol

You have a lot of great restaurant choices! It can be so hard to pick because there are so many. I will tell you my experience with the ones you've listed that you haven't been to.

Hollywood & Vine - I liked that this buffet had so many choices. There was a big variety of vegetarian options as well, which made me happy! However, we found it to be kind of "dirty" compared to other Disney restaurants. Not sure if we would eat there again.

Le Cellier - We loved Le Cellier! The food was good, it is dark and maybe even romantic in there, the service was good. The only problem is giving up 2 dining credits now.

Be Our Guest - We did BoG quick service lunch in December. It was amazing! It is so beautiful inside, it is worth going just to see it! The food was delicious, service was prompt, and it is a really unique restaurant. You can seat yourself at lunch and they bring you your food.

Spirit of Aloha - I haven't done this for years, but some family members went recently. The show is really amazing and fun. I can't remember much about the food though (I know, that doesn't really help lol)

Whispering Canyon - Such a fun restaurant! They do crazy things like make one table bring all of the ketchup to another table that needs it (each table doesn't have a ketchup bottle, they all get passed around at once lol) And they made us put on chefs hats and kiss during our honeymoon. It is kind of loud, but fun. The food was good - especially if you are a meat eater. There is more food than you can eat!

Hopefully that helps a little!

[WDWRocksMySocks]

I'm joining in! We'll be arriving the day you leave (and the day Pop Warner begins, pooh). Actually, we went during Pop Warner week in 2011 and it really wasn't bad.

Here's my take on the restaurants you have listed as possibilities:

Tusker House (Breakfast) -- LOVE IT! It's one of our favorites, even my picky DH really enjoyed it. They have a great variety and the character interaction is great (minus Donald being outside only). It was our favorite breakfast.
Hollywood & Vine -- We've only done breakfast here, but we really enjoyed it. We had absolutely no idea who the characters were, but they came up to our table and tried to do a little dance to entertain us, anyway. It was hilarious. The atmosphere is bland compared to other Disney dining options, but we really liked the food.
Chefs de France -- We were not too impressed. I had combo (French onion soup, salmon and chocolate mousse cake. The soup was great, but everything else was just...bleh. DH had the baked macaroni and was totally underwhelmed (and he LOVES cheese and macaroni, so I was surprised by that one). But, we did have the CUTEST waiter and he was super sweet. Haha.
Le*Cellier Steakhouse( -- Love, love, LOVE the Cheddar soup and if you like raspberries, you should definitely try the Red Maple -- holy deliciousness!! The only downside, we're not huge fans of truffle oil and it seems to be in A LOT of things here. We're planning on doing it for lunch and just getting soup, an appetizer and a Red Maple!
Whispering Canyon -- We've done this for breakfast and dinner. We preferred breakfast, but dinner's not bad (we just had really SLOW service that night). The atmosphere is more fun at dinner, though.

Since you like buffets, I'd suggest checking out Cape May Cafe. We LOVE that place. We discovered it during our last trip and actually had dinner there twice. The crab legs are AH-MAAA-ZING, especially for a buffet. Again, DH is super picky and he really enjoyed it.

One place we DID NOT like at all was Chef Mickey's. We've tried breakfast and dinner there and both were just...UGH! The character interaction was awesome, but that was the only redeeming quality we found in the place. DH and I both disliked it, and I LOVE buffets, normally. I went back w/ my nephews and sister to try it for dinner and it was even worse. But, Mickey did hang out at our table for 15-20 min so that was fun!

[CtinaDitty]

I had such great responses all typed up and kept getting errors from DIS saying my response had to be at least 1 character in length (which it was). I then copied it so I could save it and my computer didn't even believe that I had copied anything! Plus, DIS is running really slow on me so not sure if this will post or not!

Originally Posted by Disney9.9.10

So jealous of your Disney Visa - we can't get them here!

I am really not impressed to learn that Pop Warner is going to be there on the 7th. I may have to rethink some things if we decide to go in December lol

You should just go the same week as me! No Pop Warner and not a big Christmas crowd either!

You have a lot of great restaurant choices! It can be so hard to pick because there are so many. I will tell you my experience with the ones you've listed that you haven't been to.

Hollywood & Vine - I liked that this buffet had so many choices. There was a big variety of vegetarian options as well, which made me happy! However, we found it to be kind of "dirty" compared to other Disney restaurants. Not sure if we would eat there again.

Le Cellier - We loved Le Cellier! The food was good, it is dark and maybe even romantic in there, the service was good. The only problem is giving up 2 dining credits now.

I've heard great things about Le Cellier! For some reason, we haven't seemed to eat at a lot of Epcot restaurants.

Be Our Guest - We did BoG quick service lunch in December. It was amazing! It is so beautiful inside, it is worth going just to see it! The food was delicious, service was prompt, and it is a really unique restaurant. You can seat yourself at lunch and they bring you your food.

I saw pictures of BoG on your TR and it looks amazing! I wanted to eat there when I first heard of it but when I saw your pictures I was hooked! Like I had a chance...

Spirit of Aloha - I haven't done this for years, but some family members went recently. The show is really amazing and fun. I can't remember much about the food though (I know, that doesn't really help lol)

I feel since I'm staying at the Poly I have to check this out, right? DH ended up vetoing it for our honeymoon when we were making last minute cuts to the ADR lineup. So, I feel we should at least give it a shot.

Whispering Canyon - Such a fun restaurant! They do crazy things like make one table bring all of the ketchup to another table that needs it (each table doesn't have a ketchup bottle, they all get passed around at once lol) And they made us put on chefs hats and kiss during our honeymoon. It is kind of loud, but fun. The food was good - especially if you are a meat eater. There is more food than you can eat!

As we speak, my dog is chasing a balloon left over from my sister's baby shower around the living room. Dear lord... Lol. I've heard great things about Whispering Canyon. One of the tours I was considering eats there I think? It sounds very fun and interesting!!

Hopefully that helps a little!

Originally Posted by WDWRocksMySocks

I'm joining in! We'll be arriving the day you leave (and the day Pop Warner begins, pooh). Actually, we went during Pop Warner week in 2011 and it really wasn't bad.

I think I heard that they really aren't bad at the parks, just the resorts which are the value and one moderate? We probably wouldn't even have noticed them but the less people there the better! We dealt with the Brazilian tour groups on our honeymoon and were so sick and tired of them. They were SO rude!!

Here's my take on the restaurants you have listed as possibilities:

Tusker House (Breakfast) -- LOVE IT! It's one of our favorites, even my picky DH really enjoyed it. They have a great variety and the character interaction is great (minus Donald being outside only). It was our favorite breakfast.

I've heard amazing things about Tusker House. When DH and I did the Wild Africa Trek on our honeymoon there was a huge line to get into Tusker House. It's a must-do for sure, if only I can convince DH into another breakfast reservation. He's not a big breakfast fan...

Hollywood & Vine -- We've only done breakfast here, but we really enjoyed it. We had absolutely no idea who the characters were, but they came up to our table and tried to do a little dance to entertain us, anyway. It was hilarious. The atmosphere is bland compared to other Disney dining options, but we really liked the food.

Your review is similar to Disney 9.9.10's. Is this the popular opinion? I'll have to do more research!

Chefs de France -- We were not too impressed. I had combo (French onion soup, salmon and chocolate mousse cake. The soup was great, but everything else was just...bleh. DH had the baked macaroni and was totally underwhelmed (and he LOVES cheese and macaroni, so I was surprised by that one). But, we did have the CUTEST waiter and he was super sweet. Haha.

I've heard if you go there you have to get the French Onion Soup. Well, I've never had that so I'm not sure if this would be the place for me... Hmmm.. Better go find their menu! Lol.

Le*Cellier Steakhouse( -- Love, love, LOVE the Cheddar soup and if you like raspberries, you should definitely try the Red Maple -- holy deliciousness!! The only downside, we're not huge fans of truffle oil and it seems to be in A LOT of things here. We're planning on doing it for lunch and just getting soup, an appetizer and a Red Maple!
Whispering Canyon -- We've done this for breakfast and dinner. We preferred breakfast, but dinner's not bad (we just had really SLOW service that night). The atmosphere is more fun at dinner, though.

When we were walking around Epcot last July, DH mentioned he wanted to eat here and wanted to know why we hadn't made an ADR for it. My response, it was vetoed by you during last cuts.

Since you like buffets, I'd suggest checking out Cape May Cafe. We LOVE that place. We discovered it during our last trip and actually had dinner there twice. The crab legs are AH-MAAA-ZING, especially for a buffet. Again, DH is super picky and he really enjoyed it.

I'll definitely check it out. I've read about it in other TRs and it seems to get pretty good reviews!

One place we DID NOT like at all was Chef Mickey's. We've tried breakfast and dinner there and both were just...UGH! The character interaction was awesome, but that was the only redeeming quality we found in the place. DH and I both disliked it, and I LOVE buffets, normally. I went back w/ my nephews and sister to try it for dinner and it was even worse. But, Mickey did hang out at our table for 15-20 min so that was fun!

I'm not sure I could even get my DH to step inside the Contemporary again. Lol. The character interaction seems great, but I can just as easily go to the Crystal Palace for that.

[minniefan65]

I can't wait to hear more about your plans. We always end up going in August right before the kids go back to school. I would love to see all of the Christmas decorations.

[CtinaDitty]

Goodness, the more and more I use the new Disney website, the more I dislike it. Is there still a way to make payments on there?

I was looking at the Tours and Experiences in a new way since we can get 20% off on most of them with our new Disney Visa card!

These are the tours that are available with the 20% discounts:

Magic Kingdom® Park
• Disney's Family Magic Tour
• Disney's Keys to the Kingdom Tour
• Disney's The Magic Behind Our Steam Trains Tour
• Walt Disney: Marceline to Magic Kingdom Tour

Epcot®
• Gardens of the World (offered seasonally)
• The UnDISCOVERed Future World
• Disney's Dolphins in Depth
• Epcot® DiveQuest
• Epcot® Seas Aqua Tours
• Around the World at Epcot®

Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park
• Wild by Design
• Backstage Safari

Multiple Theme Parks and Backstage Areas:
• Backstage Magic
• Disney's Holiday D-Lights (offered seasonally)
• Disney's Yuletide Fantasy (offered seasonally)

A 15% discount off the non-discounted price is offered on Behind the Seeds — Epcot®.

We did the Around the Tour at Epcot on our Honeymoon and had a blast! This year, they’ve added an hour for a meal! I know Devan would love to do this again. He’s already mentioned it!

The other alternative to that tour would be the Wilderness Back Trail Tour. It’s another Segway tour, but over rougher terrain at the Wilderness Lodge. I don’t think it’s available with the 20% discount. It’s not listed there at least, so I may have to ask.

I love Christmas lights so I looked into Disney’s Holiday D-Lights tour and it looks kind of neat. I’d be interested on doing some more reading on it. Even with the 20% off it’d still be kind of expensive, so I’d have to read some really great reviews in order to make me pay that much!

The other Christmasy tour is the Yuletide Fantasy Tour. The price is much better. It’s less about the lights and more how Christmas is celebrated around the globe.

I’ve heard a lot about the Keys to the Kingdom Tour and the price on it is great! I think it could be a good warm up to the Backstage Magic Tour, which is quite pricy!

The Backstage Safari also looks cool but I’m afraid it would be a let down after the Wild Africa Trek we did last July.

I read about the Candlelight Processional on another person’s TR. I can’t remember whose though… I think it could be very neat with the Candlelight Dinner Package!

We of course will be doing the MVMCP! Can’t go at Christmas time and miss out on that!

Here is your dose of my pups being cute! Can’t help but take pictures of them.

Tuckered out with their sick mommy.





Not sure why but Ellie has never figured out how to scratch while sitting down. She always does this, which is quite impressive but still, not practical. Just looking at this picture again, she is going to be a tall girl.. She’s just barely 8 months old. January 20th was her 8 month birthday!



I also found out I can put videos on here so here is a cute one of the girls in the snow. Enjoy and if you haven’t found it I just started a TR for my honeymoon trip this past July. I’ve been home sick with the stomach flu so I’ve had a lot of time on my hands!

[CtinaDitty]

Originally Posted by minniefan65

I can't wait to hear more about your plans. We always end up going in August right before the kids go back to school. I would love to see all of the Christmas decorations.

Thanks for joining in!

I've been at Christmas a few times before but never just with the DH. I am a really emotional person and get very emotional around Christmas lights and Christmas music.

[CtinaDitty]

So, we have narrowed down the tours we are interested in.

Possible Tours/Experiences:
(407) 939-8687

Disney’s Keys to the Kingdom Tour: $74 pp + 20% discount
• http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/tou...o-the-kingdom/

I LOVE MK. It's my favorite theme park so going behind the scenes would be very neat!

Wilderness Back Trail Adventure: $90 pp + 15% discount
• http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/rec...ail-adventure/

Another version of the segway tour. Rougher terrain, different scenery. We'd get to see WL and horsies!

OR

Keep Moving Forward:See the World, Share the Dream (Segway Tour): $99 pp + 20% discount
• http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/tou...oving-forward/

Did this tour last July, formerly known as Around the World at Epcot. For some reason, that extra hour they added with food must not be included anymore because I can't find anything on the website talking about it though I know I saw it somewhere. Too bad...

We obviously won't do both segway tours, but we are wanting to do one. As of right now, all three tours are pretty good in price, I think. We are also looking into the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package. I've heard it's pretty neat but would need to do more research before shelling out any cash.

*Available to make Dining Reservations & Tours/Special Experiences June 5, 2013* So we do have some time but I'm always one to plan early so when it comes time to book things, it's easy!

[lovethattink]

Originally Posted by CtinaDitty

[SIZE="3"][FONT="Georgia"]So, I was doing some research at
work today about Pop Warner. I had a feeling since Thanksgiving was so late this year (November 28th) that Pop Warner would be the second week of December instead of the customary first week of December. Well, it is official..

In 2013, Pop Warner week will begin on December 7!
See the official link below!

I am so very excited! December 7th is the day we leave so we shouldn't
have to deal with them! Yay! *Happy Dance* So, hopefully anyone else
planning their December trip will see this and it'll make their day as well!

I'm sure that was quite a relief!

Originally Posted by CtinaDitty

[SIZE="3"][FONT="Georgia"][COLOR="DarkOrchid"]
*
So, of all those restaurants, I will definitely try and make two reservations
again: The Brown Derby and The Crystal Palace. The rest, I don't feel are
must-do's. I will be making reservations at*O'hana for sure. I've heard such
amazing things about it PLUS we are staying at the Poly. How could we NOT
eat there?! Some other restaurants I am interested in include, but are not limited to:
*

• Tusker House (Breakfast)
• 
Hollywood & Vine
• 
Chefs de France
• 
Le*Cellier Steakhouse
• 
BE OUR GUEST!!!!!! :D
• 
Kona Cafe

• Spirit of Aloha Luau
• 
Artist Point
• 
Whispering Canyon

*
Those are just a few. Have any of you ever been to any of these? What were
your experiences?

We did Tusker House for the first time for breakfast last spring. Actually our ADR was for the earliest lunch, but they still had breakfast out. We loved the breakfast. Once it switched over to lunch, we didn't care for the lunch. I would eat breakfast again in a heartbeat there.

We haven't eaten at Hollywood and Vine in years. We found the food mediocre and stopped eating there because we couldn't justify the price with the quality of food.

I love Chefs de France! Never had a bad meal. This is where I usually chose for my b-day meal. At lunch we've seen Remmy about 50/50.

Never at al Le Cellier

Be Our Guest - We ate both lunch and dinner here on Nov 12th. Loved both!! Two totally uniquely different experiences.

Kona Cafe - I've eaten here for lunch and enjoyed it

Spririt of Aloha Luau - It's been years since we've done this. I'm prissy. I hate eating outside with the bugs. However, I did enjoy the show and the food. Nobody else in the family enjoyed the food.

Artist Point - Never eaten here

Whispering Canyon - back when it was the home of the bottomless skillet, I loved this place. Now that they don't have the skillet, I don't know. We haven't eaten here since they took it away.



Congrats on the new job. That will be nice to be closer to home.

[CtinaDitty]

Originally Posted by lovethattink

[/COLOR]

I'm sure that was quite a relief!





We did Tusker House for the first time for breakfast last spring. Actually our ADR was for the earliest lunch, but they still had breakfast out. We loved the breakfast. Once it switched over to lunch, we didn't care for the lunch. I would eat breakfast again in a heartbeat there.

We haven't eaten at Hollywood and Vine in years. We found the food mediocre and stopped eating there because we couldn't justify the price with the quality of food.

I love Chefs de France! Never had a bad meal. This is where I usually chose for my b-day meal. At lunch we've seen Remmy about 50/50.

Never at al Le Cellier

Be Our Guest - We ate both lunch and dinner here on Nov 12th. Loved both!! Two totally uniquely different experiences.

Kona Cafe - I've eaten here for lunch and enjoyed it

Spririt of Aloha Luau - It's been years since we've done this. I'm prissy. I hate eating outside with the bugs. However, I did enjoy the show and the food. Nobody else in the family enjoyed the food.

Artist Point - Never eaten here

Whispering Canyon - back when it was the home of the bottomless skillet, I loved this place. Now that they don't have the skillet, I don't know. We haven't eaten here since they took it away.



Congrats on the new job. That will be nice to be closer to home.

I could have sworn I responded to this! Ah, my apologies! I've been a little MIA lately. Things have been crazy!

I've heard great things about Tusker House's breakfast, but not much about the rest of it. I've heard if you're going to do Tusker House, make it breakfast! We'll keep that in mind!

I'm so jealous of BoG! Cannot wait to eat there! It's cool that it's such a different experience for different meals! We might have to try more than one meal there!

The new job is very nice! I can't believe how much gas I've saved and considering gas recently jumped very randomly, I'm very thankful for the savings on gas!

[CtinaDitty]

Sorry that I haven't updated in awhile! I've been caught up in mu Honeymoon trip report and have been busy reminiscing rather than planning our new trip. Plus, we have a trip we are taking before Disney to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Yes, this is the infamous Stanley Hotel that Stephen King based the movie "The Shining" off of. We wanted to try something different for our anniversary so we thought staying at a haunted hotel would classify as different! Lol. That trip is only a little over 5 months away and I have nothing planned... Not even the hotel booked! That is so not like me!

But guess what... DISNEY IS ONLY 9 MONTHS AND 9 DAYS AWAY!!! WOO!! That translates into 282 days but that sounds depressing... But hey, we can make food reservations in 3 MONTHS AND 13 DAYS!!! WOOT WOOT!

Another thing... My sister's due date is 1 week and 5 days away, though we doubt it will be that long! I am so excited to meet my baby nephew! I cannot wait to see my sister and her boyfriend holding the newest member of our little family... It'll be good practice for Devan and myself. We've had plenty of practice with his nieces and nephews but I feel we'll get to baby-sit Mr. Baby more. Yes, Mr. Baby. They are less than 2 weeks out and they haven't decided on a name yet. They can't agree!

Anyway, when I took this new job this trip and our Colorado trip became almost difficult to take. I went from having three weeks of vacation time to having a total of 7 days. 15 days to 7 days... Ah. See, at my new job you don't start accruing vacation days until 6 months of service, July 28th. We were leaving for our Colorado trip July 19th after work. We can use a total of 3 days of accrued time (different than vacation time) for personal use, such as vacations so that's the only way I was able to take both vacations! Stressful! I was worried for a bit!

I don't really have any updates on the vacation front because for awhile I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I was thinking I might have to move dates and whatnot, but thankfully we won't have to!

BUT! Have you all heard of the new interactive queue they're adding to Thunder Mountain?! I watched a video of it last night and am so excited!! Here's the link!

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blo...FY12Q2FBDM0486

What are your thoughts??

Anyway, I promise next time I'll have more of an update. But, I won't leave you completely empty handed. I have some pictures to share!

We just received over a foot of snow and Laila and Ellie LOVED it!



"Mom! This is AWESOME!!!"





"Mom, do I have anything on my face?"



The girls were tired from their frolicking in the snow.



Though, when we went upstairs we saw two familiar scenes... Laila likes to lay under our bed... Like this:



And Ellie has a really tough life...



I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day!! I know it was last week, but I haven't updated in awhile... Ours was very low-key, but great! Came home to a surprise dinner made by DH!







I will leave you with this last picture... It's a very bad picture but it's one that DH took of Ellie in very poor lighting. She has the biggest smile on her face and it's just goofy looking!



Will update sooner than later! Have a good weekend everyone!

[Disneymoon2013]

Subscribing! Dfi and I are going to WDW the exact same dates as you, except we will be staying in the Contemporary. I posted some questions in your HM TR.