Jscott1115
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2016
Thanks for sharing! We arrive in November. Cant wait!
We will be arriving 2 days after you in December! I also have scheduled the brunch at California grill and am so excited!!!!Cant wait to be back in Disney in December...doesn't it just feel extra magical!?
Thanks for sharing! We arrive in November. Cant wait!
That's great! The SPG card is the best way to earn those coveted Starwood points. I don't stay enough at hotels to earn enough points so the signup bonus is key. I really love the locations of the Epcot resorts, because Epcot is my favorite park! And entering from the WS is really nice as it's easy to eat around there. F and W is the best! I haven't been for a few years but it's one of my favorite times to go. I'm totally planning for next year. Wait, when are you getting married again?
I am all about the sign up bonuses. I'm not usually loyal enough to any brand because I'm just looking for a good deal when I travel - except maybe Southwest, but that's more because they are typically the best price for me. I do have my eye on their credit card next... I read about the SPG one on a non-Disney site, so now we will get 6 nights at Disney, and probably 2-3 nights near Universal and one night in Cocoa Beach, all on points. We just signed DF's mom up for it for free nights too!
We're getting married mid to late September... I don't want to put the exact date on the internet, but you are more than welcome to PM me I also have a wedding PJ going on here, and I haven't officially 'broken the news' over there, because I wanted to get all the details worked out/contracts signed. We're like 66% of the way there The other day I was adding up some other credit card rewards, which are being saved up for honeymoon expenses... and it's about $900 currently! So I'm gonna try and talk DF into a quick trip - definitely budget - to see places in person before getting married Those rewards plus the SPG points = me not feeling so bad about spending money on a quick trip
Our Dec dates are From Dec 2-7th! 5 nights at the Dolphin. Will you be there?
This is a "budget" trip for us as I didn't anticipate going back
So 5 nights at the Dolphin, plus I had some credits with united airlines so I only had to pay about 30 bucks for our flights.
Omg we will! We arrive on the 3rd, stay 2 nights at WL then move over to the BW for three nights, we will practically be neighbors! Are you going to do the Christmas Party?
That's what having the annual pass will do! It's exactly what prompted our decision to go in Dec. I've always wanted to see Disney at Christmas too and never have.
How awesome is that! A practically free trip!
Thanks! Oh too bad we'll miss each other! I think you said you're spending NYE there? Good luck! I'm sure it'll be awesome!
I'm not sure who is doing the CP on the other days we are there, there was a TBD next to some of the dates and so far, only Whoopie as been assigned so I think we'll stick to that until they announce someone else whom we prefer.
Yes, we are arriving 12/27 and leaving 1/2. It's going to be really crowded, but at least I know what to expect. I would love to see NPH. Maybe another time.
I've been a crappy commenter, but I still read, I swear! Heading over to subscribe to your DL TR right now!
PTR Update: Disneyland, Princess 5k (Feb 2017) Trip ADRs
Ok, T-1 until we leave for California! I'm ALMOST packed...still have to decide on shoes. Is it wrong to want to bring 4 pairs for flip flops and 2 pairs of walking shoes? I am really trying not to overpack, but I do have some room since we are checking in some large suitcases that are only half full. I have always said, if I'm checking in a bag, it might as well be the biggest bag I am allowed to bring! I'm totally saving room for some popcorn buckets too...hehe.
So this past weekend was our ADR day for our Princess 5k Trip from Feb 23-28 2017. It also coincides with my birthday (27th)! At 7am I tried making ADRs both online and on the app...AND IT WASNT WORKING!! Kept giving me error messages. Maybe the system was overloaded? I doubt it...anyhoo, I called the Disney Dining number and made my ADRs with a CM. Sooo, here were the ADRs I ended up getting:
Feb 23rd (Day before 5k): We'll have to go to the Race Expo to pick up our bibs from what I'm told. So not sure how long that takes. Maybe if we have some time we can go to Epcot or something. We will grab an early dinner at 1900 Park Fare. Nothing like Prince Charming and Strawberry Soup to get give you some pre-race face!
Feb 24th (Day of 5k): If I don't fall over and pass out after the 5k we may rest then head to MK. I have early dinner ADRs at Liberty Tree Tavern.
Feb 25th: Today will be an Epcot day, and we have lunch ADRs at San Angel Inn
Feb 26th: Today it's DHS and we have early dinner ADRs at 'Ohana
Feb 27th (my bday): It's an MK day! We have a PPO breakfast at BoG and then dinner at California Grill! Wishes is supposedly at 8pm that night, and the only ADR I could get was 6:50pm. I hope that's a good time.
Feb 28th (last day): We'll spend the day at AK and have brunch at Tusker House. I'm excited to eat here again as I love it! Then we plan to get an evening flight out.
The reason for all the early dinners is that I wanted to see if they are offering a Star Wars dessert party...so hopefully I can book that if/when they are announced. Sometimes they are not offered everyday so wanted to build in some contingency. I was thinking of doing Club Villain if it's available too!
@Elevationist @cinderkelly - when should we have our Dismeet? I'm pretty open to changing stuff around except for Ohana and California Grill since they are such coveted ADRs. Maybe we should have a post-race meet up! Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum anyone?
That's our plan so far! We have lodging booked (Contemporary) but I'm waiting on flights. I am strongly contemplating flying us in the day before (Feb 22nd) late night after work and spending the night at the airport Hyatt. I do have some free nights to spare so it wouldn't cost anything, then we can wake up bright and early ready to take ME to the Contemporary. The more I think about it, the more I think this plan appeals to me more. I don't love taking early flights out as it just tires me for the whole day, and I don't want to have to waste a day traveling. The last time we flew in late after work, our flight got slightly delayed and we ended up at Orlando at 1am, and still had to wait for ME to take us to our resort (which took another 30 minutes at that time and it wasn't a magical bus, just a plain white van). So spending the night at the Hyatt seems to be a good idea and we can wake up refreshed to take Magical Express!
See you all in Cali!
Envious, envious, envious of all your trips! Going over to subscribe to the DL TR now....Hi Everyone! I just started my Disneyland TR! Here it is:
Bring Back Hyperspace Mountain! A September 2016 Disneyland Trip Report
I only have intros at this point but I'm gonna write more tonight!
Also, some of you already know but we're going to be going back to WDW this December!! Dec 2-7th to be exact. It's sort of a last minute trip (well, last minute for us) to see the holiday stuff since we've never experienced it before and also to celebrate DH's birthday which is in December. We have reservations for the Candlelight Processional on Dec 3rd (Whoopie Goldberg) and we're also going to eat at Via Napoli, California Grill (Brunch at the Top), Restaurant Marrakesh, and Yachtsman Steakhouse. We may also add a few others. Since I was booking well within the 6-month window I wasn't able to get Ohana or BoG, but that's ok, we're going to Disney World again!
This is a "budget" trip for us as I didn't anticipate going back to soon but since I purchased our annual passes, I thought, why not? Hehe. So we're using my Starwood points to stay at the Dolphin. I thought I only had enough points to stay 4 nights, but luckily Starwood allows SPG members to redeem 4 nights and get the 5th free! So that was some pretty awesome news! So 5 nights at the Dolphin, plus I had some credits with united airlines so I only had to pay about 30 bucks for our flights. That is a relief as I've spent so much this year on traveling! We also have a trip to Hawaii in November with some friends. Might do a mini-TR as part of my Disneyland TR too.
I've stayed at the Swan before, if you want to read my first ever trip report from 2009 you can find it in my signature. Boy, has my trip report writing gotten a whole lot better. When I re-read some of my older trip reports I kinda cringe. What was I saying?!?! Ha ha. I like the location of the Swan and Dolphin but we have to pay for transportation from/to the airport...oh and no magic bands, although I may get some collectible ones to use for this trip and the next year.
Anyone else going to be there at that time?
Wow fun! Definitely go to Villians Lounge if you have the chance. It was so much fun and the food was fantastic. It was the highlight of my trip!!
Envious, envious, envious of all your trips! Going over to subscribe to the DL TR now....
Hahaha...I haven't sign on here for quite a while then I spotted your TR. So glad we were able to meet after all these years.
We might be going back in Feb 2017 also but it depends on a few obstacles. Otherwise, we do have a plan to go back in Oct 2017 for another Halloween gathering. That will also depends on if we can get the reservation or not thru DVC rental.
Next time you come thru PA again, let us know and we can get together for lunch or dinner.
Believe me, I would too, if I could!It's a first for us to have the annual pass, so I am going to milk it for everything it's worth.
Oooo as DH and I just recently started talking about whether we would want to save up for a Disneyland trip or a World trip for our next (in the far too distant future!) Glad to here your perspective!I'm in the midst of sorting and organizing our pictures so will get started on the TR over on the Disneyland Trip Report forum soon. I'll post a link here and in my signature when I've started. We had an amazing time, the weather was gorgeous, and staying at the Grand Californian was awesome in terms of location.
Here are my top 10 initial thoughts, coming from a WDW veteran:
See I've been wondering if it would end up feeling that way. With everything more compact I can see how crowds will feel more congested quicker.1) DLR was much more crowded. We've been to WDW and now DLR during labor day week and DLR felt more crowded whereas WDW was pretty light. Granted DLR is a smaller park but I was expecting much lighter crowds during the weekdays. I guess school hasn't started for a good portion of kids yet!
2) I liked the compactness of DLR and how easy it is to walk from park to park and to DTD. The Grand Californian is right above the heart of Downtown Disney, plus you get an entrance from the hotel to California Adventure (for all Disney resort guests, not just Grand Californian), just around the corner from Soarin'. The line for that entrance though, was really long in the mornings, but was very light the rest of the day. The best feature about the Grand Californian was the location and the restaurants. I thought the hotel itself was rather dark and dated and our room was in need of some updating. The restaurants looked really nice though, and the one we did eat at, Storyteller's Cafe, was bright and fun.
huh. I was under the impression Characters were easier to meet there.3) Characters at DLR had much longer lines, also many of them ended their appearances early, at like 4pm and after that they don't come out anymore. The ones that did show up at night though had really long lines.
Also something I've been wondering if I would end up feeling. I'm a total fan or the Magicbands and FP+ it pushes all the stress of planning and making decisions to before the trip allowing yourself to relax back and enjoy while on the trip.5) I like the Disney "bubble" of WDW better as you become fully immersed in the experience, with magic bands and FP+. You technically don't need to bring any money with you. At DLR I found I was using cash a lot as when paying by credit card, they check your ID for everything, including a coffee at Starbucks, and I always seemed to misplace it in my wallet or bag, so I just used cash for smaller purchases as it was easier.
See above. Count me as another who is a fan of FP+ and the lack of it and the complications to park planning is counted as a major downside to a land trip.6) I am going to say it...like FP+ better than paper FP. DH is the opposite. He prefers to run and grab paper FP so he can ride everything multiple times. I realize there are benefits to that, but I also like being guaranteed a ride on something with an FP+ reservation.
See you there shortly!Hi Everyone! I just started my Disneyland TR! Here it is:
Here's the crowd. It looks crowded but that's because people were so spread out. There was plenty of space in between groups and parties. If it were a packed night they would make everyone squish together.
I think I got the Castaway Crush: Leblon Cachaça, Cream of Coconut, Pineapple, Cinnamon, and fresh Lime Juice
I always like to do Character Spot first so we look fresh and wide awake in the PP pictures, and especially before Test Track!
Mickey was all hugs!
But I finally booked something....we're gonna be staying at...
The Contemporary Resort
in a Garden Wing Standard View Room
Feb 23-28 2017
Now on to AKL!!!
We took a bus from Epcot to AKL and got off at the Kidani Village stop which is where Sanaa is located.
And such a treat it was...OMG, this was huge! And it was just as amazing as it looked. I loved the different flavors of everything and liked how you could mix and match. The breads were absolutely delicious, some of the best naan ever!
Ugh playing catch up is no fun!
Oooo as DH and I just recently started talking about whether we would want to save up for a Disneyland trip or a World trip for our next (in the far too distant future!) Glad to here your perspective!
See I've been wondering if it would end up feeling that way. With everything more compact I can see how crowds will feel more congested quicker.
huh. I was under the impression Characters were easier to meet there.
Also something I've been wondering if I would end up feeling. I'm a total fan or the Magicbands and FP+ it pushes all the stress of planning and making decisions to before the trip allowing yourself to relax back and enjoy while on the trip.
See above. Count me as another who is a fan of FP+ and the lack of it and the complications to park planning is counted as a major downside to a land trip.
Okay, before I start ...... I was more than 10 pages behind. Being on vacation for close to 6 weeks and taking 5 weeks to catch up left me with a lot of reading material.
I had to just pick a few things out of your TR to reply on, otherwise I could fill a whole page.
Plus, I had to skim through all the comments or otherwise it would have taken me even longer to reply.
So here we go ...
Wow! Not too bad - we went to see the Jungle book thingy at AK and they squeezed us in like sardines.
That was one awesome show. You really need to get to see the new one (if you have not already) - it is even more amazing.
I got the same thing. And Tom got something that was for 2 - but we could not understand the server, so we had no idea when it arrived. I liked my drink!
Love those pics! I didn't even know they served breakfast - Tom and I do not really like characters during a meal, so that one just went by me.
And another one we have never even been to ..... maybe we should try to meet some characters some time. Clever thinking to go before you ride Test Track.
Oh, AWESOME ... the Contemporary is such a wonderful hotel and to be able to walk over to MK - that convenience cannot be beat.
I remember that lobby! Happy memories!
you were brave! We dined at Sanaa during our summer trip and the "smaller" version of this was more than enough for the two of us. To take on the deluxe version - you are my heros
Thank you for your TR. I loved following along, even though it took me a while to catch up. Going to sign up for the PTR now and then reading your DL TR. I need to compare notes with yours - we loved our little stay so much, we added a day at the end.
Looks like they are not having the Jungle Book show when we are there in December.
I love this picture: