I Can't, I'm Not Wearing a Princess Dress! - New TR link!!!!

[ashw100]

That's so awesome that you have a new trip planned. I'll keep the little guy in my prayers for his surgery and hopefully he will be ready to go on his first Disney trip this summer . I totally understand not being on here as much with no trip planned, but it sounds like you'll have one heck of an awesome trip coming up.

 

[afwdwfan]

Well hot diggity with a side of Wahhhhoooooty!

First that you get to go, and secondly that you might be able to spend a little more time with us.

It should be fun. And I'm glad to be back. Hopefully I can keep it going.

I do completely understand the no trip planned slump. It's just hard to spend time with a bunch of people all excited about their trips and stuff.

You know, I don't think it was not having a trip that kept me away. I think I just had enough going on that I felt overwhelmed and this wasn't a priority. And it takes time to maintain my "normal" level of activity here. It just wasn't a priority. I think more than anything, now that I'm in trip planning mode, it is motivating me to come back. Because I've had questions that I didn't have answers to. And when I'm active on the boards, I'm up to date on the news and rumors.

That's so awesome that you have a new trip planned. I'll keep the little guy in my prayers for his surgery and hopefully he will be ready to go on his first Disney trip this summer . I totally understand not being on here as much with no trip planned, but it sounds like you'll have one heck of an awesome trip coming up.

Thank you. We're hoping for a short recovery, but it is essentially a do-over of the surgery he had at 10 days old. It's a little more scary this time around. Our trip this summer should be a lot of fun, but I definitely realize there will be a lot of challenges too.

 

[SarahDisney]

I certainly can't criticize you for taking your time with the TR, since I just took a year to write mine (and I didn't even have a baby to take care of).

I'm excited that you guys have another trip planned, and I hope everything works out! I'm not even going to try to guess the ADRs or resort, because I've learned that I'm terrible at guessing, but I am going to guess that there will be at least one princess involved in this trip.

 

[afwdwfan]

I certainly can't criticize you for taking your time with the TR, since I just took a year to write mine (and I didn't even have a baby to take care of).

Good point. But you've been more present than I.

I'm excited that you guys have another trip planned, and I hope everything works out! I'm not even going to try to guess the ADRs or resort, because I've learned that I'm terrible at guessing, but I am going to guess that there will be at least one princess involved in this trip.

I haven't finished writing the next update yet, but I did just figure points for it. You've worked your way back into the top 4 and this has the potential for a big points shake up... just sayin.

 

[pkondz]

I just came to the realization that I've now hit the one year mark. I've never taken this long to do a TR.

Welcome to the club! <high fives>

frankly, I've just not been feeling it much the last few months.

Totally understandable dude.

I just got so far behind this summer that the DIS has felt like a mountain that needs to be climbed as opposed to a fun way to kill a few minutes here and there during my downtime.

I know the feeling. There've been a few times...
And you've had a much bigger mountain to climb.
I've just had mole hills.

I will finish this TR though. I'm not going to make any promises when, but it will happen.

Take your time. We all know you have other things going on.

I'm starting to feel the pull of Disney and I really need/want to get back here discussing fun plans and delicious food and beverages with all of you.

Lay it on us!

we'll be going with my parents, sisters, brother in law and niece to Disney World for a week followed by a few days at Panama City with just our little family before we head back home.

Nice!

It will be a lot of fun, but I'm definitely nervous about the heat.

Don't worry too much. Take advantage of as much air conditioning as you can.

Then again, if the baby keeps throwing us curveballs we might miss our second consecutive summer vacation.

Fingers crossed for you guys.

It will be a major surgery though and we expect to be in the hospital at least a week so any thoughts and prayers would be much appreciated.

Consider it done, Andy.

Yesterday was our ADR day and even getting ADRs for 11 we pretty much got everything exactly as we wanted.

Hey! That's great!

The only one that gave us problems was a favorite of mine and a place that I wouldn't expect to have trouble getting what I wanted at 180+ days. Bonus points if you can guess.

No idea. So... Biergarten.
Since it normally wouldn't be hard to get.

Actually, how about we throw out a big bonus opportunity here. I've taken so long to update that I'll throw in some bonus points for guessing where we have ADRs. We booked 6 ADRs total. I'll give 10 points for each one. I'll even give a hint, all but one are in a park. Also I'll give bonus points if you can guess the one that we had to get creative to book. And what the hell... guess which resort we're staying at too. That's right folks, it's your chance to write my PTR for me so I don't have to!

Oy.

Um, okay.
Biergarten (since I mentioned it.)
LTT
Boma
San Angel
Via Napoli
Sci Fi

Creative.... Sci Fi

resort AoA.

Thanks for hanging with me!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Actually, how about we throw out a big bonus opportunity here. I've taken so long to update that I'll throw in some bonus points for guessing where we have ADRs. We booked 6 ADRs total. I'll give 10 points for each one. I'll even give a hint, all but one are in a park. Also I'll give bonus points if you can guess the one that we had to get creative to book. And what the hell... guess which resort we're staying at too.

I'll try throwing in some guesses.

ADRs:
Be Our Guest
Tusker House
Via Napoli
50s Prime Time
Akershus
Beaches & Cream - this is the creative one

Resort: AoA

 

[amazingact21]

I'm really glad to hear you're planning on returning to Disney soon. I think you guys deserve some more time at your happy place and the chance to relax and have some fun.
Disney in the summer is hot, but it's definitely doable. So long as you make sure the kids are sunscreened up and drink plenty of fluids, they won't mind the heat at all.

 

[natebenma]

I continue to hold your family in my heart and prayers. Ryder is a beautiful, strong boy who has the support of a devoted family and caring medical team. And a whole bunch of friends he has not yet met!

I am so glad to hear about your upcoming trip to Disney- what a great thing for your family to look forward to. Especially being with extended family- more love, more fun and more opportunities for great stories!



******************************************************************************

Dining guesses.

For the one not in a park, I'm going with Kona

Sci Fi for the creative reservation

Tusker House
Via Napoli
Be Our Guest
Garden Grill
Crystal Palace: I'll guess that this one was difficult because you booked a PPO breakfast and you had to choose different times for different family groups.


Resort- Art of Animation

 

[Dugette]

Thanks for following along on this long, tumultuous, randomly updated journey. I just came to the realization that I've now hit the one year mark. I've never taken this long to do a TR. I can make plenty of excuses, and there are some legit reasons, but frankly, I've just not been feeling it much the last few months. I just got so far behind this summer that the DIS has felt like a mountain that needs to be climbed as opposed to a fun way to kill a few minutes here and there during my downtime. Every time I get caught up I just feel like I want to take a day away from the boards and the next thing you know I'm coming back 2 weeks later and starting the process once again.

I will finish this TR though. I'm not going to make any promises when, but it will happen.

Totally get it. Heck, I'm coming close to 2 years on mine.

We are planning another trip.

Happy to hear it!

It will be a major surgery though and we expect to be in the hospital at least a week so any thoughts and prayers would be much appreciated.

Definitely thinking of you guys!

The only one that gave us problems was a favorite of mine and a place that I wouldn't expect to have trouble getting what I wanted at 180+ days. Bonus points if you can guess.

Biergarten

Actually, how about we throw out a big bonus opportunity here. I've taken so long to update that I'll throw in some bonus points for guessing where we have ADRs. We booked 6 ADRs total. I'll give 10 points for each one. I'll even give a hint, all but one are in a park. Also I'll give bonus points if you can guess the one that we had to get creative to book. And what the hell... guess which resort we're staying at too. That's right folks, it's your chance to write my PTR for me so I don't have to!

Be Our Guest
Garden Grill
50's Prime Time
Tusker House
Crystal Palace
T-Rex - creative

Wilderness Lodge

 

[afwdwfan]

Welcome to the club! <high fives>

It seems to be a distinguished club.

I know the feeling. There've been a few times...
And you've had a much bigger mountain to climb.
I've just had mole hills.

Everybody has their mountains...

Take your time. We all know you have other things going on.

Thanks

Nice!

It should be. We're actually going to a place we've been before. It is a Holiday Inn resort, but it has a beautiful pool area, a splash area for kids, and direct beach access. But to top it off we're staying on points for FREE and they have a deal where kids eat free at the restaurants there if adults buy meals. We'll probably go to the beach/pool and eat either lunch or dinner at the pool bar everyday so it should actually be a cheap trip too!

Don't worry too much. Take advantage of as much air conditioning as you can.

Fingers crossed for you guys.

Thanks

Consider it done, Andy.

Thanks

Hey! That's great!

I was shocked, really.

I'm really glad to hear you're planning on returning to Disney soon. I think you guys deserve some more time at your happy place and the chance to relax and have some fun.
Disney in the summer is hot, but it's definitely doable. So long as you make sure the kids are sunscreened up and drink plenty of fluids, they won't mind the heat at all.

We're really looking forward to it. Like I said, we've done summer before. It has its challenges but it isn't that bad. I'm really more worried about keeping the kids comfortable and avoiding the overheated meltdowns than anything.

I continue to hold your family in my heart and prayers. Ryder is a beautiful, strong boy who has the support of a devoted family and caring medical team. And a whole bunch of friends he has not yet met!

Thank you

I am so glad to hear about your upcoming trip to Disney- what a great thing for your family to look forward to. Especially being with extended family- more love, more fun and more opportunities for great stories!

Yes. We had a good time when we went together last time. And selfishly, it is nice to have help with the kids.

Totally get it. Heck, I'm coming close to 2 years on mine.

It happens...

Happy to hear it!

Definitely thinking of you guys!

Thank you.

No idea. So... Biergarten.
Since it normally wouldn't be hard to get.

Oy.

Um, okay.
Biergarten (since I mentioned it.)
LTT
Boma
San Angel
Via Napoli
Sci Fi

Creative.... Sci Fi

resort AoA.

I'll try throwing in some guesses.

ADRs:
Be Our Guest
Tusker House
Via Napoli
50s Prime Time
Akershus
Beaches & Cream - this is the creative one

Resort: AoA

Dining guesses.

For the one not in a park, I'm going with Kona

Sci Fi for the creative reservation

Tusker House
Via Napoli
Be Our Guest
Garden Grill
Crystal Palace: I'll guess that this one was difficult because you booked a PPO breakfast and you had to choose different times for different family groups.


Resort- Art of Animation

Biergarten

Be Our Guest
Garden Grill
50's Prime Time
Tusker House
Crystal Palace
T-Rex - creative

Wilderness Lodge

Ok, I've noted all of your answers, but I've decided to make it a little bit... easier. I'm going to give a little bit more information and a few hints when I post the next update so feel free to change your answers if you so choose.

 

[afwdwfan]

See Ya Real Soon


I know it has been a while since the last update so how about a little recap?


We had just spent a very rainy morning in MK meeting characters, characters and more characters and buying an overpriced child size rain poncho.

We then rode IASW before finding respite from the rain in Pinocchio’s Village Haus for lunch. And here we are with full bellies ready to face the rest of our day!


We finished our food and noticed that the rain had let up. It was still coming down, but it was more of a light sprinkle than a monsoon. We headed out to the restrooms behind the Village Haus to make use of the facilities before using our FP+ to visit Anna and Elsa.

DD as always was excited to see the Frozen sisters. Despite the FP+ we actually had about a 15 minute wait to get in. We’ve used FP for this meet before and never had any kind of a wait at all to get in.


It was a little bit disappointing once we did. Not that the characters were bad. They also weren’t so good that I made any extra notes about the interaction, but there was no photopass photographer there for Anna.

I realize this is kind of nitpicking, but we did pay for the Memory Maker on this trip just so that we could get all our ride and character pictures. I know there are some characters that never have photopass, but when you pay for the package and use a valuable FP specifically to meet these particular characters it is a little disappointing when you don’t get the full-service experience. Like I said, it is nitpicking and it certainly didn’t ruin our experience, but it was a little bit of a disappointment.

After meeting Anna and Elsa we returned to a bright and sunny Fantasyland. The rainclouds had moved out and it was sunny and quickly warming up. I headed over to the FP+ kiosks to grab FP+ to meet Tink later on and then we decided to go for a train ride.


We would be at the Main Street Station before our Tink FP was ready so we decided we’d just hop on and go all the way around the park and then take it another 1/3 of the way around back to Main Street. Again, DW was pregnant so it was a good way to get off our feet for a while.


We were enjoying our train ride and as we were passing by Big Thunder Mountain, DD mentioned that it looked like fun. When we measured her at home she was close to 40” but just a bit shy, and in addition to that, she’s really not all that adventurous so we never really thought she’d be as interested in the bigger rides. It hit me at that moment though that when I got our FP+ to meet Tink, I noticed BTMRR was also available. By the time we made it back to Storybook Circus, I had formulated a plan.

DW would stay on the train and continue around to Main Street. I was going to put DD in the stroller, make a mad dash to BTMRR to check her height and we’d meet DW at the front of the park. We made it over to BTMRR and as she stepped up to get measured she stepped just under the bar. I started to pat her on the back and tell her that she was just a little too short. As I’m starting to think of what to tell her the CM standing there looked at her and said she was just tall enough. I looked at him a little surprised but he said her head just does touch the bar and that was good enough.


I wasn’t sure if it would indeed be good enough when we came back, but I decided we’d get FP+ and try it later.


We made it to the front of the park and DW was already there waiting for us to go in and see Tink. At the time, DD was going through a phase where Tink and Ariel were her 2 favorite characters so she really enjoyed getting to see one of her best friends again.

After visiting Tink, we saw that someone had left a dog running loose in Town Square. DD, normally afraid of dogs, decided to go investigate.

After we finished with Tink, I had asked someone in the Town Square theater where the nearest FP+ kiosk was. I thought there was one in the theater somewhere. The CM informed me that there used to be one there, but the nearest one now was either in Adventureland or Tomorrowland. We decided to split up. I took DD with me to get our FP+ while DW went into the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor to order some snacks.


We wanted to take a break this afternoon, but we’d be returning to MK that evening so I found a time that evening that should work perfectly for our FP+. We met up with DW in the seating area at Tomorrowland Terrace and enjoyed our ice cream.


After our snack it was time to head out of the park. The weather had turned around and it was turning out to be a beautiful afternoon. We stopped for a few pictures on the way out.

Despite having a virtually empty park all morning, the masses were starting to stream in as we made our way up Main Street. It definitely worked out for the best that we braved the rainy weather that morning and did all that we could. It turned out to be a lot of fun.


When we got back to our room at POR, DW laid down for a nap while I took DD swimming. The sun was out and it felt nice, although the pool water was a bit colder than I’d like. I assume all the rain water that morning played a big role in that. We swam for maybe 20 – 30 minutes before heading back to the room. DW was still napping and I wanted to keep DD from waking her so we went for a walk. We headed to the resort gift shop to get a few things and fill our mugs.


But we were so close to POFQ and I’d heard amazing things about a snack that is served there.


So we set off to take a tour of POR and POFQ and obtain some beignets.


It was a nice walk along the banks of the Sassagoula. POR is really a beautiful resort and it was nice getting to see a little more of it. And then POFQ was beautiful in its own right. I wouldn’t mind staying here sometime in the future.

We got our powdered sugary goodness and set off back toward our room with a few extras to share with DW and maybe eat for breakfast in the morning. When we got back to the room, DW was awake and we were ready to ride the bus back to MK.


As we walked down Main Street the very end of the Dream Along with Mickey show was wrapping up so we stopped to see what we could of that. But we had an ADR coming up with a very important princess.

Yes, we were to have dinner with Cinderella! We checked in for our ADR and were ushered in for our obligatory meet & greet and picture.

We then sat down and waited to be seated for dinner. There weren’t more than a couple of groups waiting but there wasn’t anybody coming in and they weren’t actively calling people upstairs. We sat there for about 10 minutes and there was nobody in line to meet Cinderella who had been sitting there by herself for the past several minutes. The PP photographer told DD she could go back and see Cinderella again if she’d like. She was being shy and declined the invitation, but another little girl took advantage.

Well, this gave DD some courage so as soon as that little girl finished up, DD went back over to have an extended conversation with Cinderella. I have no idea what they talked about. Probably princess stuff. But it was a nice experience for her to get some extra 1 on 1 time with Cinderella and I was grateful to the PP photographer for giving her that opportunity and getting some good pictures.

Finally we heard our name called and had to retrieve DD from Cinderella and go find our table.


Now I’ll preface this by saying that this was our second visit to CRT. Our first time, we had a table in the middle of the restaurant just across the aisle from the window overlooking Fantasyland. It was literally the perfect location and just a fantastic experience.


This time… not so much.


We had the first table you see as you come up the stairs. You know, where everybody is walking by on their way in, on their way out, and on their way to the restrooms.


Slightly less magical.


On top of that, DD was suddenly not very happy. She didn’t want to eat. She said she didn’t feel good. She said she missed her brother. She ended up sitting on DW’s lap through the entire meal and making 2 trips to the restroom. I don’t think she ate anything the whole time. Frankly, it wasn’t a great experience. I can’t say that was the fault of the restaurant (aside from our table location and the service being on the slow side) but it just wasn’t a magical experience. The food was fine, nothing special. Certainly not good enough to warrant the price tag. Our service was slow and even despite that, we finished eating and were sitting there waiting for the princesses to come around. We briefly considered leaving without seeing them. Thankfully DD cheered up some once they finally made their way around to us.

One of them even forgot to visit the handful of tables up in the area where we were seated before leaving for her break. This is where taking a year to write a TR without detailed enough notes hurts you. I thought it was Snow White, but judging from the pictures it must have been Rapunzel since the table next to us was seated when she came by but empty while the others visited. Someone at another table got a CM’s attention and they sent her back. We ended up meeting all of them, but the visits with them were very rushed with no memorable conversation and it was just kind of… meh.


And when you’re spending close to $200 for 2 adults and a kid who ate hardly anything… well it has to be better than meh or it better be a damn magical experience. They didn’t serve us inedible food and the service could have been much, much worse. You’re obviously paying the premium to eat in the castle with the princesses anyway. Some magical interactions with them could have saved it, but we were literally in the last few tables they visited before leaving for their break and it honestly felt like they were just in a hurry to rush through and move on.


When we made our way outside, it was time for our BTMRR FP+. The way DD acted at dinner, I kind of thought we might be best served to leave and go back to the room. But we asked her if she wanted to try some rides and she did. We headed back over to BTMRR, not sure if she’d find another CM as generous as the one we saw that afternoon. We approached the line and the same CM from that afternoon was out front at the FP+ entrance. DD walked into the FP+ line, through the queue and onto the loading platform without once even being measured. Victory!

She thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I was glad we tried it and at the same time I was kicking myself for not taking her to try Test Track on our wasted EPCOT morning.


We decided to just turn the evening over to DD at this point. MK was open until 1 am, I believe. We had already seen the night time shows and we knew we weren’t going to close down the park. We’d done our must do’s so we just went with the flow and let DD pick what we’d do. We ended up seeing the Country Bears, we rode the Magic Carpets and we visited the Tiki Room.


It was when we sat down waiting for the show to start in the Tiki Room that DD looked like she hit a wall. She was basically asleep but with her eyes open. I asked if she was ready to go back to the room after we saw the show. She told me she wanted to do 5 more rides and then we can leave.


Ok…


She made a list of rides she wanted to do:

IASW

Barnstormer

Dumbo

Tea Cups

Carousel


After the birdies made us disappear we set off for Fantasyland. First up was IASW. We finished our cruise and I went across the way to grab FP+ for Barnstormer.


We headed over to Storybook Circus taking the back way there. We obviously had to stop by Gaston’s to use our last few snack credits to stock up on cinnamon rolls. We got 3, I think. One of them made it home and it was my first breakfast back home. Not quite the same as being there, but it softened the blow of waking up and having to do less pleasant things like unpacking and laundry.


When we got to Barnstormer we were able to use that FP right away and followed it up with a walk-on ride on Dumbo. We were tearing through our list at a rapid pace.

Then came the Tea Cups.


There was a line. It wasn’t too long and I didn’t want to walk back over to the FP+ Kiosks so we waited. I think maybe 3 ride cycles. Not bad, but still, a wait for the Tea Cups?

You may remember (probably not because it has been so long) that we received a surprise in our room on our first evening. DW coaches cheer at a local high school and one of her cheerleaders had an older brother moving in that week to start his College Program. Their parents were helping him move down and their mom sent us that little extra surprise.

Anyway, while DD and I were doing the Tea Cups, DW was texting with the newly minted CM. We knew he wanted to meet up at some point, but he also had a lot going on with getting moved in and getting started on CP. He had actually spent that day doing Traditions and it was nearly 10pm that night and he was entering MK for the first time ever as a Disney employee. We waited for about 10 minutes or so near the Tea Cups to meet up with him and a couple of his friends. They were all excited beyond words to be starting their adventure on the CP and I have to say I felt a little bit jealous but happy for them. We chatted for a bit and they headed off to enjoy some rides, while we were about ready to call it a night.


While we had stopped to chat, DD fell asleep in the stroller.


We headed for the front of the park, ready to say goodbye to the Magic Kingdom for who knew how long. DD had been given a bit of an allowance to spend on this trip and she had picked out a few things that she wanted. We told her we’d come back later, but wanted to wait to see if she found anything she wanted more. We stopped by the Town Square Theater Tinkerbell dump shop to acquire a doll and accessories DD had picked out earlier in the week.


As we were walking under the train station the soundtrack for Wishes was just beginning. We thought about waiting and enjoying it one last time, but DD was asleep and we figured it best to get to the bus stop before everyone else. As we were walking out, there was a CM just dancing and enjoying life as she sang along with the soundtrack.


You couldn’t help but smile. It was really just a little thing, but just the nice little sprinkling of pixie dust that you sometimes need when you’re leaving your happy place.


We made our way to our bus stop and we were thankful that we could hear the soundtrack from there. It was a different vantage point, but we were at least able to enjoy Wishes as we waited for our bus. Shortly before Wishes ended, a bus pulled up. We were among the first on, but there was already a line behind us so we went to the back of the bus. We would be the last stop at the resort anyway and this way DW could sit with DD on her lap and I could just stand in front of them with the stroller so we would only take up one seat.


Well a few people boarded and then somebody decided to stop just short of the open section where the back doors are. They completely blocked the aisle. The bus driver asked them to move to the back and fill in the space numerous times to no avail. He finally grumbled something to the effect of there’s another bus coming anyway and with that we were off. Since the back of the bus was only about half full, I was even able to sit down and stretch out while the front half of the bus was packed in like sardines.


We got back to the room and quickly we were all in bed and asleep. Resting up for a long drive home.



Contest Answers:

4. What ride did I suddenly get the urge to get FP for while riding the train? (10 points) - BTMRR


5. What would DW do at the resort during our afternoon break? (10 points) – Take a nap


6. What would DD and I do at the resort during our afternoon break? (10 points) – Swim/Take a walk/Get a snack/Explore the resort


7. What Disney snack will I get to try for the first time ever? (15 points) - Beignets


1. How many characters will we meet after lunch and before our afternoon break? (20 points – 5 points each if you can name them.) Hint: It was less than half as many as we met that morning. – 4 Anna, Elsa, Tink, Pluto


2. Do we ride any rides after lunch and before our break? (10 points) If so, what ride(s) for 10 more points? Hint: This should be free points if you’re paying attention to the contest. – Yes – the train


3. Where do we have a snack before leaving the park? (20 points – bonus points if you can guess what I had) – The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor – The All American Sundae




Points this round:

Captain_Oblivious 70
Dugette 70
franandaj 65
natebenma 60
Terra Nova Guy 50
Gracefulskinny 50
jandlinz 50
SarahDisney 40
pkondz 35
FantasiaMagic 30
ashw100 30
chillitsanne 20
GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes 20
MissMaryQC 15
cindianne 320 10
vrajewski10513 10



Overall Leaderboard:

pkondz 616
Captain_Oblivious 589.5
jandlinz 546
franandaj 512
Dugette 500
SarahDisney 495
chillitsanne 493.5
Terra Nova Guy 484
cindianne 320 475
Gracefulskinny 448
6travel 441
natebenma 425
FantasiaMagic 417
ashw100 320
Leshaface 285
vrajewski10513 257
GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes 216
MissMaryQC 200
SoccerDogWithEars 164
amazingact21 155
ursalita 85
vernie822 80
Poolrat 75
Goofyfan1515 50






July Trip info!

We are going to Disney World in the middle of the summer. We have made a total of 6 ADRs for this trip.

Our group will consist of 7 adults, a 7 year old boy, a 5 year old girl, a 2 year old girl and a 1 year old boy. One girl is very princess crazy, both love Frozen. The 7 year old boy is kind of over princesses.

As I mentioned, all ADRs except for 1 are in parks. The one not in a park will be for dinner on our arrival day when we don’t have park tickets.

One lunch will actually be a split ADR. Guys going one place, girls going another.

There is one park in which we have no ADRs scheduled at this time.

One ADR is tied to an evening spectacular.

We like to try new places, but this time around only 1 of the ADRs is a place that we’ve never been.

We scheduled several ADRs for places that we felt could be difficult to get the day and time we wanted, especially for our large group. We had all sorts of contingency plans in place for how we’d re-arrange things if certain ADRs couldn’t be obtained at the times we wanted them. We managed to get all of those without difficulty, but had trouble getting an ADR at 180+ days for a place that I wouldn’t have ever expected to have trouble getting into. We had to get creative and pick a different meal to visit this restaurant.

Our resort is one at which I have never stayed before, but it is a resort that I’ve visited in the past.

If you’ve answered already and wish to stick with that answer I’ll make note of it. If you wish to change your answer based on the details above, feel free to do so.




So, to make it official,

Questions for next update:

1. Guess which 6 ADRs we have booked for our summer trip. – 10 points each

2. Guess which ADR gave us unexpected difficulty in scheduling. – 25 points

3. Guess where we’ll be staying. – 25 points

4. I’ve made a bonus 7th ADR for just my family of 5. I don’t know if we’ll be able to use it, but it is for a small, out of the way restaurant that I’ve still never managed to visit despite getting ADRs in the past. – 20 points

 

[ashw100]

It was a little bit disappointing once we did. Not that the characters were bad. They also weren’t so good that I made any extra notes about the interaction, but there was no photopass photographer there for Anna.

I agree with you about PP, I think they should be with all the characters and I would be annoyed as well. Sorry the meets weren't great.

Very cute

What a beautiful day it turned out to be

Well, this gave DD some courage so as soon as that little girl finished up, DD went back over to have an extended conversation with Cinderella. I have no idea what they talked about. Probably princess stuff. But it was a nice experience for her to get some extra 1 on 1 time with Cinderella and I was grateful to the PP photographer for giving her that opportunity and getting some good pictures.

Yay for extra character time, I bet that made dd feel special.

And when you’re spending close to $200 for 2 adults and a kid who ate hardly anything… well it has to be better than meh or it better be a damn magical experience. They didn’t serve us inedible food and the service could have been much, much worse. You’re obviously paying the premium to eat in the castle with the princesses anyway. Some magical interactions with them could have saved it, but we were literally in the last few tables they visited before leaving for their break and it honestly felt like they were just in a hurry to rush through and move on.

I am sorry about your experience, unfortunately CRT is one of those places that I feel Disney really takes advantage of the fact that it's special to eat in the castle. Instead of providing a great meal and good customer service to go along with it, they instead are worse than other locations just because they know they can get away with it.

She thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I was glad we tried it and at the same time I was kicking myself for not taking her to try Test Track on our wasted EPCOT morning.

I am so glad you not only got her to go on it but that she liked it as well.

It was when we sat down waiting for the show to start in the Tiki Room that DD looked like she hit a wall. She was basically asleep but with her eyes open. I asked if she was ready to go back to the room after we saw the show. She told me she wanted to do 5 more rides and then we can leave.

This reminds me of DS6 on our last trip, glad she powered through.

 

[SarahDisney]

DD as always was excited to see the Frozen sisters. Despite the FP+ we actually had about a 15 minute wait to get in. We’ve used FP for this meet before and never had any kind of a wait at all to get in.

Interesting. We've had a longish wait with FP+ for Cinderella and Rapunzel, but never for Anna and Elsa. Usually they move their FP+ line pretty quickly. It's definiitely a little weird that you had to wait so long.

It hit me at that moment though that when I got our FP+ to meet Tink, I noticed BTMRR was also available.

This is not cool. The two days I was at MK, there were no FP+ available for BTMRR. A week later there were FP+. It's like Disney is trying to make me sad. Not cool.

After visiting Tink, we saw that someone had left a dog running loose in Town Square. DD, normally afraid of dogs, decided to go investigate.

I understand her excitement, because that's one of the few dogs I'm actually not afraid of.
(Okay, that's not true, I'm actually a lot less afraid of dogs than I used to be, but even in my "terrified of all dogs" days, I still loved Pluto)

It was a nice walk along the banks of the Sassagoula. POR is really a beautiful resort and it was nice getting to see a little more of it. And then POFQ was beautiful in its own right. I wouldn’t mind staying here sometime in the future.

*Files away this information for future contests* (And by future contests I mean scroll down)

Yes, we were to have dinner with Cinderella! We checked in for our ADR and were ushered in for our obligatory meet & greet and picture.

But she's not wearing her Cinderella dress! (Still adorable pictures, though)

I gotta ask ... what is up with Aurora's makeup? Does she always have those white lines under her eyes?

DD walked into the FP+ line, through the queue and onto the loading platform without once even being measured. Victory!

YES!!!! (This is especially awesome because you shrink over the course of the day, so if she got measured again, she might not have made it!)

Well a few people boarded and then somebody decided to stop just short of the open section where the back doors are. They completely blocked the aisle. The bus driver asked them to move to the back and fill in the space numerous times to no avail. He finally grumbled something to the effect of there’s another bus coming anyway and with that we were off. Since the back of the bus was only about half full, I was even able to sit down and stretch out while the front half of the bus was packed in like sardines.

This happens to me on the bus all the time. People don't understand moving to the back. It's not move to the doors, it's move all the way to the back. It's nice if you're sitting in the back and want the extra room, but it's kinda rude when the bus is crowded. Seriously.

Our group will consist of 7 adults, a 7 year old boy, a 5 year old girl, a 2 year old girl and a 1 year old boy. One girl is very princess crazy, both love Frozen. The 7 year old boy is kind of over princesses.

Wow, your kids are getting old!!

1. Guess which 6 ADRs we have booked for our summer trip. – 10 points each

I have to guess 6 things? I'm terrible at guessing one, how do you expect me to guess 6.
Okay, let's give this a try ... Akershus, 1900 Park Fare, 50's Prime Time, Sci-Fi Dine-In, Be Our Guest, CRT

2. Guess which ADR gave us unexpected difficulty in scheduling. – 25 points

1900 Park Fare

3. Guess where we’ll be staying. – 25 points

POFQ

4. I’ve made a bonus 7th ADR for just my family of 5. I don’t know if we’ll be able to use it, but it is for a small, out of the way restaurant that I’ve still never managed to visit despite getting ADRs in the past. – 20 points

Hmm ... let's go with Biergarten

 

[Terra Nova guy]

I know there are some characters that never have photopass, but when you pay for the package and use a valuable FP specifically to meet these particular characters it is a little disappointing when you don’t get the full-service experience. Like I said, it is nitpicking and it certainly didn’t ruin our experience, but it was a little bit of a disappointment.

I would have felt the same. It seems very strange to me that there was no photographer there. I thought they would always have them for indoor meet & greets.

After we finished with Tink, I had asked someone in the Town Square theater where the nearest FP+ kiosk was. I thought there was one in the theater somewhere. The CM informed me that there used to be one there, but the nearest one now was either in Adventureland or Tomorrowland.

Wow, I thought there was one there too. It seems like a big inconvenience to not have one in Town Square. I suppose it's a little better now because I think they let you make FP+ on the app.

So we set off to take a tour of POR and POFQ and obtain some beignets.

It was a nice walk along the banks of the Sassagoula. POR is really a beautiful resort and it was nice getting to see a little more of it. And then POFQ was beautiful in its own right. I wouldn’t mind staying here sometime in the future.

My last trip I stayed at POR. We did a carriage ride down to POFQ and it did look very nice. I had wanted to walk down for some beignets but never did get the chance. If I stay moderate again, I would seriously think about POFQ.

And when you’re spending close to $200 for 2 adults and a kid who ate hardly anything… well it has to be better than meh or it better be a damn magical experience. They didn’t serve us inedible food and the service could have been much, much worse. You’re obviously paying the premium to eat in the castle with the princesses anyway. Some magical interactions with them could have saved it, but we were literally in the last few tables they visited before leaving for their break and it honestly felt like they were just in a hurry to rush through and move on.

It sounds like we have similar opinions of CRT. I did breakfast there once. I'm glad to have the "eat in the castle" experience. But it was just OK. I think our table was near the one you had. Food was fine, but not worth the price. Princesses were similarly just OK. We tried Akershus for breakfast on the next trip and have gone back, I found it a better experience and more value.

We headed for the front of the park, ready to say goodbye to the Magic Kingdom for who knew how long.

It's never easy to walk under the train station for the last time, especially if you don't know for sure when you'll be back. I've been waiting since 2014 to go back, but there have been various reasons why I haven't. I mentioned it in the DDC thread, DW and DD9 are going back in July with a dance school trip, but I can't go do to work commitments. I'm not happy about it, but I just keep thinking about how much DD will enjoy it.

Questions for next update:

1. Guess which 6 ADRs we have booked for our summer trip. – 10 points each

2. Guess which ADR gave us unexpected difficulty in scheduling. – 25 points

3. Guess where we’ll be staying. – 25 points

4. I’ve made a bonus 7th ADR for just my family of 5. I don’t know if we’ll be able to use it, but it is for a small, out of the way restaurant that I’ve still never managed to visit despite getting ADRs in the past. – 20 points

OK, so I'm going to change some answers.

1. Be Our Guest
Crystal Palace
Akershus (for the girls), Biergarden (for the boys)
Mama Melrose (Fantasmic dining package)
Hollywood & Vine (for Disney Junior meal)

2. Hollywood & Vine

3. POFQ

4. Beaches & Cream

 

[afwdwfan]

I agree with you about PP, I think they should be with all the characters and I would be annoyed as well. Sorry the meets weren't great.

I really think they should. Especially if you're using FP+ for a character meet. I mean if it is a situation that requires that level of planning and dedication from the guest they should definitely make it available.

Very cute

Thanks

What a beautiful day it turned out to be

It really did. Some of the nastiest weather we've ever had in a park followed by some of the best!

Yay for extra character time, I bet that made dd feel special.

She really enjoyed it.

I am sorry about your experience, unfortunately CRT is one of those places that I feel Disney really takes advantage of the fact that it's special to eat in the castle. Instead of providing a great meal and good customer service to go along with it, they instead are worse than other locations just because they know they can get away with it.

Yeah, I mean the food has always been ok, but never great. This time with it being slightly less magical than our first visit with a prime table and great princess interactions just kind of soured me on it.

I am so glad you not only got her to go on it but that she liked it as well.

Me too!

This reminds me of DS6 on our last trip, glad she powered through.

You're right!

Interesting. We've had a longish wait with FP+ for Cinderella and Rapunzel, but never for Anna and Elsa. Usually they move their FP+ line pretty quickly. It's definiitely a little weird that you had to wait so long.

I know. When we've gone there before it has been pretty much walk right in, maybe wait for another group or 2.

This is not cool. The two days I was at MK, there were no FP+ available for BTMRR. A week later there were FP+. It's like Disney is trying to make me sad. Not cool.

<Insert evil laugh>

I understand her excitement, because that's one of the few dogs I'm actually not afraid of.
(Okay, that's not true, I'm actually a lot less afraid of dogs than I used to be, but even in my "terrified of all dogs" days, I still loved Pluto)

Don't forget Goofy!

*Files away this information for future contests* (And by future contests I mean scroll down)

You never know... could always be a red herring.

Or not.

But she's not wearing her Cinderella dress! (Still adorable pictures, though)

Thanks. That dress that she was wearing that is kind of an Elsa inspired Frozen dress is actually pretty light weight and I'm sure very comfortable though. Much better for a day in the parks.

I gotta ask ... what is up with Aurora's makeup? Does she always have those white lines under her eyes?

I don't know. I don't remember noticing it at the time, but it certainly stood out in the pictures!

YES!!!! (This is especially awesome because you shrink over the course of the day, so if she got measured again, she might not have made it!)

This happens to me on the bus all the time. People don't understand moving to the back. It's not move to the doors, it's move all the way to the back. It's nice if you're sitting in the back and want the extra room, but it's kinda rude when the bus is crowded. Seriously.

Yeah, I mean as far as I'm concerned, I thought it was awesome!

Wow, your kids are getting old!!

So am I...

I have to guess 6 things? I'm terrible at guessing one, how do you expect me to guess 6.
Okay, let's give this a try ... Akershus, 1900 Park Fare, 50's Prime Time, Sci-Fi Dine-In, Be Our Guest, CRT

1900 Park Fare

POFQ

Hmm ... let's go with Biergarten

Got em!

I would have felt the same. It seems very strange to me that there was no photographer there. I thought they would always have them for indoor meet & greets.

I would have thought so too. They usually do so it was a little bit disappointing.

Wow, I thought there was one there too. It seems like a big inconvenience to not have one in Town Square. I suppose it's a little better now because I think they let you make FP+ on the app.

Yeah, I definitely like the fact that it can be done through the app now. I've never had that luxury before.

My last trip I stayed at POR. We did a carriage ride down to POFQ and it did look very nice. I had wanted to walk down for some beignets but never did get the chance. If I stay moderate again, I would seriously think about POFQ.

I thought both were pretty great. We've stayed at Coronado before and I have to say I wasn't a fan. It kind of soured me on the "upcharge" of a mod vs. value for a while quite frankly, so I was pleasantly surprised by POR.

It sounds like we have similar opinions of CRT. I did breakfast there once. I'm glad to have the "eat in the castle" experience. But it was just OK. I think our table was near the one you had. Food was fine, but not worth the price. Princesses were similarly just OK. We tried Akershus for breakfast on the next trip and have gone back, I found it a better experience and more value.

I don't know. We liked Akershus, but honestly, it isn't just so much cheaper than CRT that it would pull us away from the castle experience unless we were doing it on the dining plan. Both seemed to push the princesses by pretty quickly on us this time around, but CRT was a little bit worse from that standpoint.

It's never easy to walk under the train station for the last time, especially if you don't know for sure when you'll be back. I've been waiting since 2014 to go back, but there have been various reasons why I haven't. I mentioned it in the DDC thread, DW and DD9 are going back in July with a dance school trip, but I can't go do to work commitments. I'm not happy about it, but I just keep thinking about how much DD will enjoy it.

That's really too bad that you can't join them. I'm sure they'll have a great time and your DD will make some memories to last a lifetime.

OK, so I'm going to change some answers.

1. Be Our Guest
Crystal Palace
Akershus (for the girls), Biergarden (for the boys)
Mama Melrose (Fantasmic dining package)
Hollywood & Vine (for Disney Junior meal)

2. Hollywood & Vine

3. POFQ

4. Beaches & Cream

Got em!

 

[franandaj]

Sorry you had to wait for A&E and for the price CRT should definitely be a magical experience! Great pictures of your DD with the characters.

1. Guess which 6 ADRs we have booked for our summer trip. – 10 points each

Be Our Guest
Hollywood and Vine
Villa Napoli
Akershus
Biergarten
Rose & Crown

2. Guess which ADR gave us unexpected difficulty in scheduling. – 25 points

Hollywood & Vine

3. Guess where we’ll be staying. – 25 points

POFQ

4. I’ve made a bonus 7th ADR for just my family of 5. I don’t know if we’ll be able to use it, but it is for a small, out of the way restaurant that I’ve still never managed to visit despite getting ADRs in the past. – 20 points

Beaches & Cream

 

[MissMaryQC]

I'm delighted to read about another Disney vacation in your near future! It sounds like a big one too!

I hope DS has a successful surgery next month. A week in the hospital is no short stint, so I hope hid recovery is swift as well.

I'm glad DD had such a great last day in MK. She takes after you with the BTMRR love; she's be on RnRC before ya know it! Sorry about CRT, it's not a great location. I agree you're paying for location and characters, and it could totally be worse, but it should be better.

 

[Dugette]

, but there was no photopass photographer there for Anna.

That's a bummer! You'd think they'd at least have the one take pictures of both or something. Weird.

After we finished with Tink, I had asked someone in the Town Square theater where the nearest FP+ kiosk was. I thought there was one in the theater somewhere. The CM informed me that there used to be one there, but the nearest one now was either in Adventureland or Tomorrowland. We decided to split up. I took DD with me to get our FP+ while DW went into the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor to order some snacks.

It's in City Hall! (Disclaimer - unless something has changed, since I didn't check last trip) I once asked at Town Square and they told me the same thing as they did you, somehow not knowing there were unmanned FP+ kiosks right across the street!

And then POFQ was beautiful in its own right. I wouldn’t mind staying here sometime in the future.

Me too! It's been on our list a long time, but never made it there. Stayed at POR once, though, and walked over for beignets like you did.

Well, this gave DD some courage so as soon as that little girl finished up, DD went back over to have an extended conversation with Cinderella. I have no idea what they talked about. Probably princess stuff. But it was a nice experience for her to get some extra 1 on 1 time with Cinderella and I was grateful to the PP photographer for giving her that opportunity and getting some good pictures.

Aw, that's great!

On top of that, DD was suddenly not very happy. She didn’t want to eat. She said she didn’t feel good. She said she missed her brother. She ended up sitting on DW’s lap through the entire meal and making 2 trips to the restroom. I don’t think she ate anything the whole time. Frankly, it wasn’t a great experience. I can’t say that was the fault of the restaurant (aside from our table location and the service being on the slow side) but it just wasn’t a magical experience. The food was fine, nothing special. Certainly not good enough to warrant the price tag. Our service was slow and even despite that, we finished eating and were sitting there waiting for the princesses to come around. We briefly considered leaving without seeing them.

Sorry it was such a rough meal.

DD walked into the FP+ line, through the queue and onto the loading platform without once even being measured. Victory!

Woo hoo! Glad she enjoyed it too.

Cute pic!

1. Guess which 6 ADRs we have booked for our summer trip. – 10 points each

I'll stick with whatever I said before because it's late and I don't remember and can't think.

2. Guess which ADR gave us unexpected difficulty in scheduling. – 25 points

Whatever I said before?

3. Guess where we’ll be staying. – 25 points

POFQ

4. I’ve made a bonus 7th ADR for just my family of 5. I don’t know if we’ll be able to use it, but it is for a small, out of the way restaurant that I’ve still never managed to visit despite getting ADRs in the past. – 20 points

Beaches & Cream

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I've never taken this long to do a TR. I can make plenty of excuses, and there are some legit reasons, but frankly, I've just not been feeling it much the last few months.

You have legit excuses, dude.

I will finish this TR though. I'm not going to make any promises when, but it will happen.

Finish it, or don't. In the grand scheme of life, it's trivial. Finishing it will give you a leg up on your nemesis, though.

It will be a lot of fun, but I'm definitely nervous about the heat.

You'll be fine. It gets hot in Indiana too, and I'm sure you can deal with it.

Then again, if the baby keeps throwing us curveballs we might miss our second consecutive summer vacation. We certainly hope not though and with any luck at all they'll finally get him all straightened out next month when he goes back for surgery. It will be a major surgery though and we expect to be in the hospital at least a week so any thoughts and prayers would be much appreciated.

Keeping Ryder in prayer!

Actually, how about we throw out a big bonus opportunity here. I've taken so long to update that I'll throw in some bonus points for guessing where we have ADRs. We booked 6 ADRs total. I'll give 10 points for each one. I'll even give a hint, all but one are in a park. Also I'll give bonus points if you can guess the one that we had to get creative to book. And what the hell... guess which resort we're staying at too. That's right folks, it's your chance to write my PTR for me so I don't have to!

PTR's are overrated! I suck at guessing restaurants, though.

Like I said, it is nitpicking and it certainly didn’t ruin our experience, but it was a little bit of a disappointment.

I just don't bother paying for Memory Maker. Then I can't be disappointed except with my own crappy photos.

It hit me at that moment though that when I got our FP+ to meet Tink, I noticed BTMRR was also available.

I know which one I'd choose.

I looked at him a little surprised but he said her head just does touch the bar and that was good enough.

Nice family shot there.

When we got back to our room at POR, DW laid down for a nap while I took DD swimming. The sun was out and it felt nice, although the pool water was a bit colder than I’d like.

Hmm. I thought the pools were heated.

And then POFQ was beautiful in its own right. I wouldn’t mind staying here sometime in the future.

Well, this gave DD some courage so as soon as that little girl finished up, DD went back over to have an extended conversation with Cinderella. I have no idea what they talked about. Probably princess stuff. But it was a nice experience for her to get some extra 1 on 1 time with Cinderella and I was grateful to the PP photographer for giving her that opportunity and getting some good pictures.

That's cool. Nice to have the bonus princess time.

We had the first table you see as you come up the stairs. You know, where everybody is walking by on their way in, on their way out, and on their way to the restrooms.


Slightly less magical.

So the Gus & Jacques table, then.

On top of that, DD was suddenly not very happy. She didn’t want to eat. She said she didn’t feel good. She said she missed her brother. She ended up sitting on DW’s lap through the entire meal and making 2 trips to the restroom. I don’t think she ate anything the whole time. Frankly, it wasn’t a great experience.

Sounds like your location worked out for your needs that evening! Thanks for confirming that I don't need to book a table here anytime soon.

Did Aurora have a football game afterwards or something?

And when you’re spending close to $200 for 2 adults and a kid who ate hardly anything… well it has to be better than meh or it better be a damn magical experience.

She thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Yes! Another BTMRR fan.

When we got to Barnstormer we were able to use that FP right away and followed it up with a walk-on ride on Dumbo. We were tearing through our list at a rapid pace.

Not bad for being asleep on her feet!

As we were walking out, there was a CM just dancing and enjoying life as she sang along with the soundtrack.


You couldn’t help but smile. It was really just a little thing, but just the nice little sprinkling of pixie dust that you sometimes need when you’re leaving your happy place.

That's cool. I love to see that.

Well a few people boarded and then somebody decided to stop just short of the open section where the back doors are. They completely blocked the aisle.

Stay classy, San Diego!

1. Guess which 6 ADRs we have booked for our summer trip. – 10 points each

Be Our Guest
Akershus (for girls)
Via Napoli (for boys)
Hollywood & Vine
Mama Melrose (Fantasmic package)
1900 Park Fare(night of arrival)

2. Guess which ADR gave us unexpected difficulty in scheduling. – 25 points

Hollywood & Vine

3. Guess where we’ll be staying. – 25 points

POFQ

4. I’ve made a bonus 7th ADR for just my family of 5. I don’t know if we’ll be able to use it, but it is for a small, out of the way restaurant that I’ve still never managed to visit despite getting ADRs in the past. – 20 points

Beaches & Cream

 

[Gracefulskinny]

To start off... sorry to hear the baby boy is still having some troubles. Here's hoping that everything gets better soon.

I've never taken this long to do a TR. I can make plenty of excuses, and there are some legit reasons, but frankly, I've just not been feeling it much the last few months. I just got so far behind this summer that the DIS has felt like a mountain that needs to be climbed as opposed to a fun way to kill a few minutes here and there during my downtime. Every time I get caught up I just feel like I want to take a day away from the boards and the next thing you know I'm coming back 2 weeks later and starting the process once again.

This exactly! except for me I get so caught up in daily homeschooling that weeks will go by before I realize I haven't been on.

As it turns out, my parents wanted to do a family trip to Disney World, so we'll be going with my parents, sisters, brother in law and niece to Disney World for a week followed by a few days at Panama City with just our little family before we head back home.

Sounds exciting!

And what the hell... guess which resort we're staying at too. That's right folks, it's your chance to write my PTR for me so I don't have to!

Hey that's one way to do it!

I know it has been a while since the last update so how about a little recap?

They also weren’t so good that I made any extra notes about the interaction, but there was no photopass photographer there for Anna.

what?!?

And then POFQ was beautiful in its own right. I wouldn’t mind staying here sometime in the future.

Its on my radar for our next trip too. {Whenever that ends up being!}

I love this pic. There is just something pure Disneyish about it.

Well, this gave DD some courage so as soon as that little girl finished up, DD went back over to have an extended conversation with Cinderella. I have no idea what they talked about. Probably princess stuff. But it was a nice experience for her to get some extra 1 on 1 time with Cinderella and I was grateful to the PP photographer for giving her that opportunity and getting some good pictures.

1. Guess which 6 ADRs we have booked for our summer trip. – 10 points each

Be Our Guest, Akersush (I never can remember correct spelling for that one), Crystal Palace, Via Napoli, Ohana, 50's prime time,

2. Guess which ADR gave us unexpected difficulty in scheduling. – 25 points

Tusker House

3. Guess where we’ll be staying. – 25 points

POFQ and I look forward to hearing what you think about it!

4. I’ve made a bonus 7th ADR for just my family of 5. I don’t know if we’ll be able to use it, but it is for a small, out of the way restaurant that I’ve still never managed to visit despite getting ADRs in the past. – 20 points

Le Ceilier