From East Coast to West Coast in Under 3 Months WDW/DL PTR Updated 1/30!

[Pluto0809]

It's great that you and your mom will get to fly together on the second leg of her flights!

Sounds like a great arrival day at MK! Smart idea to ride HM before it closes for refurb!

I am really happy we ended up on the same flight. It will be so much easier than trying to find each other at MCO.

Looks like a great arrival day! While you couldn't get the flights for your mom that you exactly wanted it looks like you made it work.

FP's look great!

I was a little disappointed I couldn't arrange a direct flight for Mom but I think she will be fine. Just fingers crossed for no bad weather that morning up in PA!

Your trip reports are always so fun to read, and I especially love the photos!

So glad you got the airfare all straightened out! I'm sure being able to meet you for the second leg will ease your Mom's fears. I know what you mean about stalking the airlines. That's what I always do when planning a trip.

Your first day sounds great! When we went in September, we received a text message that our room was ready and the room number before we even arrived, so we could just go straight to our room and not even go to the check in area! That was such a time saver! As far as what Dan and I do when we have a similar arrival time is pack along a Cliff bar or something similar in case we're so anxious to get to the park we don't want to bother taking time for lunch. Which is usually all the time! haha

I think it's very smart to do the HM on your first day. You don't want to miss that! And Harbour House or Casey's...you can't go wrong with either of them! I love how thoughtful you are about your Mom and her stamina. I'll bet she'll perk up for the shopping though...don't we all?

Wonder what day two will bring???

Thanks! It's been interesting combing through all of my trip photos to find appropriate ones for this trip.

As long as the weather holds out, I think Mom will be fine. I think she's most worried about making the connection.

I'm hoping we will have enough time in Atlanta to grab something small before we have to board the Orlando flight. That way we won't be too hungry when we land at MCO.

I really can't decide right now between Casey's or CHH for dinner! That's why I said I'm going to let Mom pick. I love them both and we probably won't have time for more than one of them. We have other plans on our other MK days.

Day 2 coming right up!

Your going to love Disneyland!!! That was my first park being married and taking my boys.

I am so excited for Disneyland! I already know I will need a second trip out there someday.

I love that you will able to fly with your Mom the last part of the way--no waiting once you're in Orlando, you can jump right on the Fake-o-Rail!! YAY!!

I just smiled thinking about how you start the morning in a boring airport and are FPing rides by late afternoon--it's just something only we DIS-folks understand. Get to the magic ASAP!!!!

Can't wait to hear what else you've got in store

Yes! It will definitely be nice not having to wait on her (or her on me). I just hope we don't run into any delays with her first flight.

Yep, must have the magic ASAP and for me that is MK all the way!

we do what we can for our Mom's!!!
My mom is impossible to buy for too. sadly she will never get on a plane!

I love the first day plans and how you will be able to meet her at the airport and fly together! YAY!
No airport food! your about to go to Disney! must eat Disney food! I do hope the crowds wont be too much of an issue. I cannot believe HM will be CLOSED! NO NO NO NO! Thankfully you WILL be able to ride it at least once!

Have a great day!

Yes I do! I would give her the world if I could but she probably wouldn't let me.

Too bad your Mom won't fly. I love traveling with my Mom, it's a lot of fun. Did you ever watch the A-team in the 80s? Maybe you can pull what they always did to BA. If you remember, they used to have to drug him to get him on a plane.

We shall see about the airport food or not. If you remember, I tend to get hangry when I don't eat plus Mom has to eat frequently thanks to her blood sugar levels. Ideally we will get a snack in Atlanta if we have time. That way we can wait till we get to the resort.

Yeah, I'm really glad the HM will at least be open our first day. It's supposed to be back open by our last day (just a very short rehab) but I'm not about to take the risk if the rehab goes long!

 

[Pluto0809]

WDW Day 2

32 days to go! I better get a move on this portion of the PTR so I can finish it before the trip. I debated for a while on which park to visit on Sunday because I knew crowds would still be high from the Thanksgiving holiday. In the end I went with Animal Kingdom because it is usually the least crowded on weekends.



This day is still a tiny bit up in the air as I’m holding out faint hope for Rivers of Light. I’m pretty convinced that nothing will happen but if it does, I would like to have a FP+ or Dining Package for it so we don’t have to wait in long lines.

So first order of the day will either be strolling back to the Safari to use our first FP+ from 9:30 to 10:30 am. Or it may be hurrying back that way to beat the crowds if I move this FP+ to ROL. One way or the other, our first ride of the day will be the Safari.



After the Safari we will probably walk the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail (I had no idea the name of this one changed from Pangani until I looked it up today. I can never remember how to pronounce or spell Pangani so I think I like the new name). We both love looking at animals and can spend hours on the different trails at AK.



Around 10:30 we will start to head towards Dinoland. Morgan and her family are arriving early that morning and are planning on heading straight to Dinosaur when they arrive at AK. We have a shared FP+ for Dinosaur from 10:50 – 11:50 which will be lots of fun since we can all be in the same ride photo. I'm hoping to talk everyone into doing something fun for the photo but I don't know if I will be successful. Any ideas for a group of nine?



The kids have no idea Mom and I will be there so I’m thinking we might just stand by the big dinosaur out front and see if they spot us. I’m hoping they will give us a car to ourselves since there will be nine of us.

I’m not sure if we will be doing anything else with Morgan and family after Dinosaur or if we will go our separate ways. The kids may want to ride Primeval Whirl which surprisingly doesn’t bother me at all. You would think a ride that spins would set off my motion sickness but it does not.



Pluto is also in that area and Jordyn may want to meet him with me.



Lunch is undecided at this point. Mom has talked about wanting to try the new Harambe Market or Yak & Yeti Counter Service. Unfortunately my pickiness comes into play here and there is nothing at either place I will eat. We may just pick up something at one of those for her and then head to Flame Tree for me. If there turns out to be a dining package for ROL (highly doubtful at this point) we may also do that. We also talked about taking a bus over to Animal Kingdom Lodge and having lunch at Mara. The foods a little fancy for me but there are burgers and chicken tenders that I can eat.



Our final FP+ for the day is from 2:10 – 3:10 for Expedition Everest. I tried to get a later time to ride it in the dark but was unsuccessful.



I’m sure in between our FPs we will catch some shows and other animals. The Maharajah Jungle Trek is a must do to see the tigers and bats.

I would also like to see Festival of the Lion King as it’s my favorite. Unfortunately Mom can take or leave that one so we shall see.



I also want to catch the Finding Nemo as Mom has never seen it.



Maybe we will even take some time for character greets. I’ve met all of the current AK characters but Mom hasn’t.



And of course there is always our favorite pastime, shopping!

I would like to make it to evening so Mom can see the park at night and we can catch the Tree of Life Awakenings. As of right now the park closes at 7 pm but I keep hoping they will extend the hours.

No idea what we will do for dinner. I didn’t schedule any table service meals on this day since I had no idea what would be happening with the night time activities at AK.

Up Next: WDW Day 3

 

[missangelalexis]

Your Animal Kingdom day sounds great! It has been hard to plan at AK with Rivers of Light up in there. I've come to accept that I definitely won't be seeing it when I go. Even with the park closing at 7, I think you will still have time to enjoy the park at night! And hopefully crowds will thin out so you can ride Everest at night with a short wait

 

[rteetz]

highly doubtful at this point

Actually I am going to try and give you some hope. ROL should open in mid November if all goes well based on what I have heard. Soft openings should begin anytime now.

Otherwise your AK day looks great!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Oh and the fun part is that the kids don’t know about the trip at all. Their flight out on Sunday is ridiculously early at 5:30 am so Morgan plans to wake the kids up in the middle of the night with the news they are headed to Disney. She expects Jacob and Jordyn to be bouncing off the walls with excitement. Kennedy on the other hand will probably yell at Morgan to go away and let her sleep. I told Morgan she better video it!

This will be interesting. I wouldn't want to deal with kids who are surprised at 5:30 am, even if it is for a good reason.

This will be the third time since 2012 that I have gone to Disney the week after Thanksgiving. During the previous two trips I had no problem finding reasonably priced airfare. Not this time! Wow, it was so much more expensive that I thought it would be. I wasn’t too worried about myself but Mom is retired and on a pretty fixed budget. So I stalked the Southwest web site and finally the rates dropped for me. I still paid a little more than what I paid for airfare for the Disneyland trip but it was better than the alternative. I’m glad I did grab them then because they went back up and never came back down.

We are going the weekend after Thanksgiving, Dec 3rd to 5th, and had the same problem getting cheap airfare, too. I'm still watching it, though.

 

[Chicago Mo]

Too bad your Mom won't fly. I love traveling with my Mom, it's a lot of fun. Did you ever watch the A-team in the 80s? Maybe you can pull what they always did to BA. If you remember, they used to have to drug him to get him on a plane.

YES!!! Loved the A team.
this might be a great idea...

We shall see about the airport food or not. If you remember, I tend to get hangry when I don't eat plus Mom has to eat frequently thanks to her blood sugar levels. Ideally we will get a snack in Atlanta if we have time. That way we can wait till we get to the resort.

ahh.. So a snack is a must! go get a bagel then eat read food once your at the resort..
Just saying if im in Florida i am blinded by the fact Disney is right around the corner.

Yeah, I'm really glad the HM will at least be open our first day. It's supposed to be back open by our last day (just a very short rehab) but I'm not about to take the risk if the rehab goes long!

No way! Must ride it!!! OFTEN!

never remember how to pronounce or spell Pangani

Ya did pretty good here..

Unfortunately Mom can take or leave that one so we shall see.

Your kidding..
Your going to miss your tumble monkeys? Im in shock.


you have some great plans for AK! I do hope something opens for you and dinner!

 

[IowaTater]

I'm here now! I'm loving your plans so far. The whole RoL thing is so frustrating. I'm just hoping for everyone's sake that it's worth the wait.

I like that you're going with family but not going with family. I don't think I could ever do a fully solo trip but I would be okay going with another person & branching off every once in awhile.

 

[Pluto0809]

Your Animal Kingdom day sounds great! It has been hard to plan at AK with Rivers of Light up in there. I've come to accept that I definitely won't be seeing it when I go. Even with the park closing at 7, I think you will still have time to enjoy the park at night! And hopefully crowds will thin out so you can ride Everest at night with a short wait

It definitely has been hard planning this trip around all of the changes! And I just made another change to our AK day. I'll get to that in the next post. I am definitely going to try for a night time ride on EE if possible.

Actually I am going to try and give you some hope. ROL should open in mid November if all goes well based on what I have heard. Soft openings should begin anytime now.

Otherwise your AK day looks great!

I want to believe ROL will be open so badly but at the same time I'm keeping my expectations low so I'm not disappointed.

This will be interesting. I wouldn't want to deal with kids who are surprised at 5:30 am, even if it is for a good reason.

We are going the weekend after Thanksgiving, Dec 3rd to 5th, and had the same problem getting cheap airfare, too. I'm still watching it, though.

Me neither, more power to my cousin that's for sure.

I finally just gave in and bought it. I get too anxious if I don't have everything completely booked.

YES!!! Loved the A team.
this might be a great idea...

My brother and I never missed an episode. I caught a few recently and boy it's a whole lot more cheesy than I remember!

ahh.. So a snack is a must! go get a bagel then eat read food once your at the resort..
Just saying if im in Florida i am blinded by the fact Disney is right around the corner.

Yep, definitely need some kind of snack. But I do want to wait till we get to Disney.

No way! Must ride it!!! OFTEN!

I hope to get another ride in on our last day.

Ya did pretty good here..

Nope, not really. I had to look it up.

Your kidding..
Your going to miss your tumble monkeys? Im in shock.

Well, I have to cater to Mom of course. Wait till you read about the next day, an even more shocking one is probably going to be missed.

you have some great plans for AK! I do hope something opens for you and dinner!

I've already changed the plans some, I'll update in the next post.

I'm here now! I'm loving your plans so far. The whole RoL thing is so frustrating. I'm just hoping for everyone's sake that it's worth the wait.

I like that you're going with family but not going with family. I don't think I could ever do a fully solo trip but I would be okay going with another person & branching off every once in awhile.

Hi!

I've pretty much decided to just "let it go" in regards to ROL. If we get to see it great but if not, next trip will have to do.

I think we will be on our own more than with them. I think we only overlap on a few days.

 

[Wood Nymph]

This day is still a tiny bit up in the air as I’m holding out faint hope for Rivers of Light. I’m pretty convinced that nothing will happen but if it does, I would like to have a FP+ or Dining Package for it so we don’t have to wait in long lines.

I am all set with both an open fp that I can use for ROL and an ADR at Yak & Yeti. I am holding out hope that we will get to see the show - finally - after waiting since June for it.

 

[Pluto0809]

Magic Bands! Changes! Outfits!

Sorry it's been so long between updates, I really want to get the WDW portion finished so I can start on DL, but Photobucket hasn't been cooperating this week. I'm also still trying to catch up on everyone else's TRs so if I haven't made it to yours, I will eventually.

I’ll get to Day 3 here in just a minute but first, our Magic Bands came!



I blocked out Mom’s name for her privacy. This is the third orange band for her, guess she really likes that color! I also got her a Goofy Magic Band for her birthday so she will rotate the two. I told her that I am stealing her luggage tag but she didn’t seem to care too much. I had to get purple for myself since I didn’t have one in my collection yet.



I now have at least one of every color although a few in that pile belong to Jim. I’ve actually never gotten a blue or grey one for myself. I will be bringing the purple one along with my Pluto band and I think the green Christmas one from last year. It’s the second one from the right.

2nd bit of business for this post is a change I made to our Animal Kingdom day. Well it also applies to our last day but I haven’t gotten there yet. We had originally booked Liberty Tree Tavern for our final lunch before heading to the airport. But then they went and changed the menu. They now have the same all you can eat option as dinner and only a few a la carte options. Neither one of us cared for the options still available so we decided to cancel.

We discussed the other MK Table Service options but were not thrilled. We really won’t have time to go outside of the park that day so I started looking at other days. Since we didn’t have a sit down meal planned on our AK day, we decided to look for something there. I managed to snag a 12:30 pm ADR at Yak and Yeti so that’s where we will be going. I’m a little leery of the menu but there is a burger so I will be fine. Mom of course is thrilled, she has no idea where my pickiness came from. I am thinking about trying out the Chicken Tikka Masala (Boneless chicken breast marinated in yogurt and freshly ground herbs and cooked in a traditional Masala sauce, jasmine rice, garlic naan bread). The Masala sauce scares me a little since I don’t know what it is. Anyone every have that dish? Is the sauce spicy? I don't do spicy, I can’t even handle mild wings.

Third bit of business for this post are my outfits for the trip. If you’ve read my past TRs, you know I carry custom bags made by a dear friend. I’ve added two to my collection in the last year so I am up to eight now. I’m only bringing seven of them on this trip since one is Halloween. I need eight outfits for the week so I will be repeating one bag. Of the eight outfits, I’ve already decided which day I will be wearing four of them on. The other four are up in the air.

So for the AK day, I will be doing Lion King (some of the photos are showing up sideways for me but I did rotate them in Photobucket. Hopefully they look OK to you).



Hollywood Studios will be the Muppets. This is the first new bag.



My second new bag is the Tiki Room and I will of course be wearing it on one of our MK days. I’m not 100% happy with this combo. I love both the bag and the shirt but I think they clash a bit when put together. But I couldn’t find another Tiki Room shirt.



The Finding Nemo set will be for one of our Epcot days.



The last four outfits are all Pluto (with a dash of Stitch thrown in) and I’m not sure at this point when I will wear each one. I decided to do my Pluto Christmas bag twice since I only get to carry it during this time of year.









And that’s it! Let’s move onto Day 3 while Photobucket is still cooperating.

 

[rteetz]

Look at all of those Magicbands! I will have 5 after my january trip. I have the Donald band as well.

I have never done Yak & Yeti mainly due to pickiness as well. My mom would be fine but my dad and sisters not so much.

Love how you have all of your outfits planned already.

 

[Pluto0809]

WDW Day 3

Monday will find us heading to Hollywood Studios for the day. Morgan and her gang are headed to MK so we probably won’t see them at all.



I know many of you will be shocked but I don’t plan on riding Toy Story Mania on this day. First of all, RnRC is Mom’s favorite so that was definitely the 1st tier FP I got for the day. Secondly, I don’t plan on subjecting Mom to the TSM dash. I have extremely slim hopes of a shorter line or a 4th FP but I doubt that will happen since it’s the tail end of a holiday weekend.

So instead of getting there early and joining the mad dash to TSM, we will probably have a leisurely breakfast and then head to the park.

I want to meet Olaf so we will probably head there first before his line gets too long.

Our first FP+ is for RnRC from 9:15 – 10:15 am (guest appearance by the devil horns in the photo).



I plan to use it towards the end of the time frame because our next FP is for TOT from 10:30- 11:30.



I’m not looking forward to RnRC, it tends to make me nauseous and gives me a headache. But I have to sacrifice for Mom as there is no way she will ride by herself. I do plan on taking a small break between the two rides and maybe do some shopping up and down Sunset Blvd to let my stomach settle a bit.

We have a third FP for Indiana Jones from 11:30 – 11:50 but it is a complete throwaway as the timing won’t work with lunch.

When I first planned this day, we were going to have lunch at the new PizzeRizzo and then leave the park to spend some time on the Boardwalk before returning for dinner at Mama Melrose. But that all changed when they announced the new Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! Holiday Spectacular and dessert party. I did book the dessert party and we’ll talk about that in a minute but first lunch.

As many of you know, my Dad passed away in 2007 from cancer. We went to WDW in 2010 with family and had dinner on my Dad’s birthday at Mama Melrose. Since then, MM has been the place were Mom and I go to remember and celebrate Dad so it’s a must do for us. And of course, the dessert party is at the exact same time as our MM ADR for that evening.

I decided to see if the WDW system would let me book the dessert party while keeping the MM ADR and luckily it did. Then I started to look for a lunch ADR at MM. With the help of Touring Plans I was able to snag a 12:35 ADR! Mom knows nothing about this. She still thinks we are having dinner at MM. The dessert party is going to be a surprise for her on that day.

So we will get to have our yummy lunch at MM.



I will definitely be getting my usual Penne Pasta with Chicken.



I have no plans at all between lunch and the dessert party which starts at 5:45 pm. I’m sure I’ll try to get a 4th FP for something, most likely the Great Movie Ride. It isn’t Mom’s favorite ride but she hasn’t seen the changes. Plus with the rumors of it changing to a Mickey Mouse ride, I would like to see it again myself.



I’m honestly struggling with stuff to fill those hours. Mom doesn’t care for Star Wars at all so most of the new activities there are out. She’s seen all of the other shows and when I mentioned them to her she said the only one she might want to see again is Indiana Jones since it’s been a few years.



I’m sure we will also do some shopping since we love to do that. I might also check to see how long the line is for the new Mickey & Minnie greet.

Around 4:45 we will need to go and get checked in for the dessert party. I know a lot of people were very disappointed that Disney replaced the Star Wars show and dessert party with this but I was actually thrilled. Mom doesn’t care about Star Wars but I know she will love this. Here’s the description from the WDW Site:

Experience dazzling new heights of holiday joy, excitement and traditional music at this festive dessert party.

Relish holiday-inspired snacks, delicious desserts, wine, beer, specialty alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages—and mingle with a VIP Disney Character.

Then, great garland—Santa Claus is missing! Join Wayne, Lanny and other members of the high-tech team of elves from ABC’s animated special Prep & Landing to save Christmas by searching high and low for the Big Guy.

Wrap up your holiday evening at a reserved viewing of the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! Holiday Spectacular. This larger-than-life nighttime extravaganza features iconic music, fireworks, special effects and state-of-the-art projections that display heartwarming moments from some of your favorite Disney films including Bambi, Cinderella and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas—and build to a festive finale you won’t soon forget!

Sounds great, doesn’t it? My only concern with the night is that there is limited seating for the dessert party. As many of you know, Mom has some minor balance issues and sometimes standing for long periods of time can make her lightheaded and dizzy. I’m hoping to talk to the CM when we check in for the party to see if there is any way we can reserve somewhere to sit. If not, we may exit the dessert party a little early and find a bench to rest a bit before we enter the reserved viewing area.

Oh and did I mention the party is held in the lobby/courtyard of the Great Movie Ride? I think that is going to be awesome. I can’t wait to find out who the VIP guest character will be.

The Jingle Bell show is at 6:45 pm and Fantasmic starts at 7:00 pm so there is no way to do both. But Mom has no desire to see Fantasmic so we will probably head out as soon as the projection show is over so we beat the crowds.

Up Next: WDW Day 4

 

[rteetz]

Looks like a great DHS day!

I love how your mom loves RnRc, that is not what I would've expected.

Great surprise for your mom. I hope to do the dessert party in January for the star wars fireworks.

 

[missangelalexis]

Yay for your magic bands arriving! Loved seeing your collection from all your trips.

I've never been to Yak & Yeti, I hope you enjoy it.

Wow, love the coordinating outfits!! The muppet shirt is great and I also love the Christmas Stitch one!

Glad you were able to do both Mama Melrose and the dessert party. What a nice surprise for Mom! Can't wait to hear about the show, I am sad I will be missing it by only a few days.

 

[Chicago Mo]

I don’t plan on riding Toy Story Mania on this day.

I think i knew this only becuase you mom won't be able to run over to it!

it tends to make me nauseous and gives me a headache

You and me both! I hope they refurb it soon!

Plus with the rumors of it changing to a Mickey Mouse ride,

I did not hear this one.

Sounds great, doesn’t it?

OMG it really really does!!!

I can’t wait to find out who the VIP guest character will be.

ME EITHER!!!!!!!! FUN!!!

 

[IowaTater]

I decided to see if the WDW system would let me book the dessert party while keeping the MM ADR and luckily it did. Then I started to look for a lunch ADR at MM. With the help of Touring Plans I was able to snag a 12:35 ADR! Mom knows nothing about this. She still thinks we are having dinner at MM. The dessert party is going to be a surprise for her on that day.

That's awesome! I love it when things work out like that.

I have no plans at all between lunch and the dessert party which starts at 5:45 pm. I’m sure I’ll try to get a 4th FP for something, most likely the Great Movie Ride. It isn’t Mom’s favorite ride but she hasn’t seen the changes. Plus with the rumors of it changing to a Mickey Mouse ride, I would like to see it again myself.

I saw this rumor too. Not sure how I feel about it yet. I do like the Great Movie Ride but it's kind of one of those things where if you do it once, you maybe don't really need to do it again.

I loved the Star Wars dessert party but the Christmas dessert party sounds awesome too. But of course, for me, anything with unlimited desserts & beverages is pretty spectacular.

 

[Pluto0809]

I am all set with both an open fp that I can use for ROL and an ADR at Yak & Yeti. I am holding out hope that we will get to see the show - finally - after waiting since June for it.

I'm still holding out faint hope but we won't be doing it without a FP or ADR. I'm not fighting crowds with Mom.

Look at all of those Magicbands! I will have 5 after my january trip. I have the Donald band as well.

I have never done Yak & Yeti mainly due to pickiness as well. My mom would be fine but my dad and sisters not so much.

Love how you have all of your outfits planned already.

I do have quite a few bands although three or four of those are Jim's.

Well there is a burger on the menu and that's probably what I will get. I did look up that other chicken dish and it sounds way too spicy for me.

Looks like a great DHS day!

I love how your mom loves RnRc, that is not what I would've expected.

Great surprise for your mom. I hope to do the dessert party in January for the star wars fireworks.

Thanks, I'm just hoping I can come up with enough stuff to fill in the afternoon.

It still surprises me that she loves that one. I find it way too rough but she still loves it.

I'm still keeping the party although the Star Wars one definitely seems better that the new one. You will love the Star Wars one, it was so much fun.

Yay for your magic bands arriving! Loved seeing your collection from all your trips.

I've never been to Yak & Yeti, I hope you enjoy it.

Wow, love the coordinating outfits!! The muppet shirt is great and I also love the Christmas Stitch one!

Glad you were able to do both Mama Melrose and the dessert party. What a nice surprise for Mom! Can't wait to hear about the show, I am sad I will be missing it by only a few days.

I do have quite a few MBs don't I?

I think I will be enjoying the burger at Yak & Yeti as the other chicken dish sounds too spicy for me.

I found the Muppet shirt on Amazon but the Stitch one is a custom. I did just buy another Pluto Christmas shirt so I need to decide whether I want to replace one of the other Christmas shirts with this new one.

I can't wait to surprise Mom with the dessert party!

I think i knew this only because you mom won't be able to run over to it!

I am definitely going to miss it but I still think we might sneak a ride as wait times have been much lower with the third track.

You and me both! I hope they refurb it soon!

The did just do a quick refurb on RnRC but I think it was just cosmetic stuff. I don't see an extensive one until after the new lands are open. Funny thing, I had a dream the other night that RnRC was turned into this really slow, boring kiddy coaster. No idea how that idea lodged in my brain.

I did not hear this one.

Well there are always rumors about HS so who knows if that is true or not.

OMG it really really does!!!

I'm not as excited after reading the reviews but I did keep the reservation. It doesn't sound as awesome as the Star Wars one but I think we will still enjoy it.

ME EITHER!!!!!!!! FUN!!!

I was slightly disappointed that the VIP Character is Santa Goofy. I was hoping for a rarer character but Mom will be thrilled since he is her favorite.

That's awesome! I love it when things work out like that.

I saw this rumor too. Not sure how I feel about it yet. I do like the Great Movie Ride but it's kind of one of those things where if you do it once, you maybe don't really need to do it again.

I loved the Star Wars dessert party but the Christmas dessert party sounds awesome too. But of course, for me, anything with unlimited desserts & beverages is pretty spectacular.

I was really happy when I snagged the MM lunch ADR. I'm still looking for a slightly earlier time but I'm happy with what I got.

I do think they need to update GMR but I'm not sure if I like the idea of a Mickey ride.

Reading all the details, I definitely think the Star Wars one is better but we will still have a wonderful time.

 

[Pluto0809]

OK so I have seriously neglected this PTR, so sorry! Our department went through a pretty major reorg at the beginning of our fiscal year (October 1st) and things have just been crazy. I just never know what is going to be thrown my way in a given day. But I leave for WDW in 9 days (yay single digits! ) so I need to finish that portion out. Luckily I was able to finish writing all but the last day yesterday so I can post them pretty quickly. I've got five days left so I plan on posting today, tomorrow and then Monday - Wednesday next week. So enough of that, let's move onto day 4.

WDW Day 4

Tuesday, November 29th will be the first of two semi-down days I have planned. With Mom getting older, I don’t want to run her ragged so I made this trip slower paced.

We will take it easy in the morning and then head towards Disney Springs around 9:30 – 10 am.



Mom and I both love to shop so we are excited to check out the new Town Center area. Personally I want to check out Alex and Ani, the Coca-Cola Store (hope to meet the coke bear), the Ganachery, Pandora, Uniqlo and Vera Bradley.

Also a cupcake from Sprinkles is a must do and I’m sure we will spend tons of time in the Marketplace stores.

Lunch will be at a new location for both of us, the House of Blues Restaurant and Bar at 12:15 pm (used to be called Crossroads at the House of Blues). I’m thinking about giving the Lobster Mac and Cheese a try but I may chicken out. Cheese is a bit of a crap shoot for my stomach issues and I never know if a cheese dish will set it off. I know I can eat Mozzarella with no problems but Chedder is almost always a problem. Other cheeses I’m not sure of. But I love Lobster Mac & Cheese so I might take the risk. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mom orders this also.

We will probably shop till around 3 pm and then catch a bus back to Pop to drop off any purchases before we head to Epcot for the evening.



While we will probably do more things we really only have one goal for the evening, to use our FP+ for Soarin’ from 7:20 – 8:20 pm. Mom wanted to ride Soarin’ twice and also catch Frozen Ever After so I ended up scheduling us one full day and two half days at Epcot so I could snag all three FPs.



I am hoping we will get there early enough to stroll around World Showcase and catch a few of the Holiday Storytellers. I would also like to try some of the food and drink offerings at the holiday booths. The Cocoa Candy Cane (Nestle Chocolate Delights Hot Cocoa with Peppermint Schnapps) sounds wonderful as does the Chocolate Grasshopper (Peppermint Schnapps and Candy Cane Crumble).

Food wise I would like to try the Slow-roasted Turkey at the American Booth and the Duck Confit at the Alpine booth. The Blackened Catfish at the Seasonal Southern Delights Booth also sounds intriguing as well. For dessert, I think I would like the Peppermint Sundae at the Holiday Eats & Treats booth. Peppermint seems to be the theme!

Here's a list of all the food booth options in case anyone is interested.

Holidays Around the World Food

AMERICAN HOLIDAY TABLE-American Adventure Pavilion
Slow-roasted Turkey with Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes and Cranberry Sauce
Seared Pork Tenderloin with Holiday Accompaniments
Green Bean Casserole, Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges and a Champagne Demi-Glace
Assorted Holiday Cookies
Holidays Around the World Beverages
Shipyard Eggnog White Porter-aged on Bourbon, Clearwater, FL
Blanc de Bleu Cuvee Mousseux Brut
The Great American Wine Company, Red Blend, California
Firenog: TG Lee Eggnog with Fireball Whiskey
Cocoa Candy Cane: Nestlé Chocolate Delights Hot Cocoa with Peppermint Schnapps
TG Lee Eggnog
Nestlé Chocolate Delights Hot Cocoa

Mexico Holiday Marketplace-Mexico
Chicken Enchilada
Carnitas Tacos
Sweet Tamale
Horchata Margarita
Mexican Coffee Margarita
Rompope
Kahlúa
Bohemia Pilsner with Kahlúa

Alpine Haus-Promenade
Duck Confit, Dumplings, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Port Wine Fig Sauce
Cheese Fondue in a Bread Bowl with Fresh Steamed Baby Vegetables & Marbled Potatoes
Sachertorte: Chocolate Cake with Apricot Jam and Dark Chocolate Glaze
Holidays Around the World Beverages
Weingut Stadt Krems Grüner Veltliner White Wine, Austria
Heinrich Red Blend, Austria
Chocolate Apple Shake featuring Twinings® Winter Spice Tea and Kahlúa Liqueur
Chocolate Apple Shake featuring Twinings® Winter Spice Tea

Feast of the Three Kings-Promenade
Shredded Beef Tamale with Avocado Crema and Cilantro Rice - NEW!
Roasted Pork with Mashed Yuca and Pickled Green Bananas - NEW!
Three Kings Bread - NEW!
Holidays Around the World Beverages
Presidente Pilsner
Coquito with an Oak & Palm Spiced Rum Floater - NEW!
Coquito - NEW!

Holiday Eats & Treats - Promenade
Holiday Sandwich: Cranberry Bread, Roast Turkey, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Peppermint Sundae: Chocolate Ice Cream, Whipped Cream and Peppermint Candy
Holidays Around the World Beverage
Shipyard Cinnamon Bun Nut Brown Ale
Chocolate Grasshopper crafted with Peppermint Schnapps and Candy Cane Crumble
Nestlé Chocolate Delights Hot Cocoa with Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
Nestlé Chocolate Delights Hot Cocoa

Seasonal Southern Delights-Promenade
Hoppin' John: Black-eyed Peas, Ham Hocks, and Kale with White Rice and Cornbread Crumbles
Blackened Catfish with White Cheddar Grits, Fried Okra, Tomato and Onion Stew
Chocolate Pecan Tart
Holidays Around the World Beverages
Central 28 Up River American Pale Ale, DeBary, FL
Central 28 Dancing Pierre Belgian-style Pale Ale, DeBary, FL
Frozen S'Mores with Dutch Caramel Van Gogh Vodka - NEW!
Frozen S'Mores

If we don’t fill up at the booths, I have a feeling we will end up at Sunshine Seasons or Yorkshire Fish for dinner.





I plan on checking out the wait time at Test Track since we won’t have a FP for it at all during the week but we’ll probably just end up heading out after our Soarin’ FP to avoid the Illuminations crowd.

Up Next: WDW Day 5

 

[missangelalexis]

Yay for single digits!!

Your day sounds great! I had no idea that Epcot offered holidays foods- sounds awesome!

 

[rteetz]

Woohoo your trip is almost here!

I can't wait to check out Disney Springs. Sounds like another fun filled day.

The food booths look good. I am interested to hear reviews of them.