Greetings from a Newcomer

OK...I just LOVE to talk Disney!! So here goes...remember you all asked!

We're staying at PO Riverside...that's a surprise for my hubby. He thinks we're at Pop Century, which we both like very much. That said, we're celebrating his BD while we're there and we were fortunate to get in on the Buy 4, Get 3 Free promotion...so when I crunched the numbers it wasn't that much more to upgrade to PO...so it's a no brainer!! I have two words for him HOT TUB!! It's so nice to sink into the pool-side jacuzzi after a full day at the parks.

We also purchased the Table Service Dining plan so we'll be eating at all of our favorites that week. Ohana (8:00 pm ressie - so we'll see Wishes from our table), Boma (my fave), Whispering Canyon (just plain fun...not to mention great BBQ), Crystal Palace ( I LOVE Tigger!!!), and two new restaurants for us, Le Cellier and Citricos. We have a couple of other favorites that we won't be eating at this time, some of the decisions were hard, but we've always wanted to try Le Cellier and Citricos sounds wonderful!

We also have some great plans for the counter service choices - Flame Tree at AK, Yakitori House at Epcot, Wolfgang Puck Express at DTD (or Earl of Sandwich), Studio Catering at DHS and possibly Contempo Cafe at the Contemporary (quick hop on the monorail there and back from MK). We do have some other CS restaurants as backup plans depending on where we are in the parks when the hunger pangs strike...

We also purchased the PH, NE, WPFM options and upgraded to 10 day tix. Since we've been to WDW quite a few times, we're thinking we'll use 4 days of park admissions and a couple of the water park tix this trip. That will leave us enough admissions for at least two more trips!

We don't do the annual passes since we can ususally only make it down once per year due to work commitments and distance...we're in NC...and not as young as we used to be...the 12 hr drive are getting harder each year! So the 10 day NE works well for us, we can usually get 3 trips out of the 10 day tix.

We will also be visiting with friends while we're there. We lived in Orlando for a couple of years so it's tricky to squeeze it all in and still find time to relax. We have one day planned to just stay at the resort and relax by the pool, take a nap, ride bikes whatever!

DH is an elementary teacher and while we lived there he had a summer job as a Photopass Photographer so I guess you could call us "Disney Pros"!!

I think of us as Disney Commandos...not the "tear through the parks as fast as you can" type, but we tend to plan our time very well and we are usually in the parks from open 'til close...which will be intersting at MK, since the day we are there the park is open until 2:00 AM....love those Extra Magic Hours!! Fortunately the next day is a Typhoon Lagoon day and I'll be floating in an innertube for most of it!!

Whew!! It's going to be quite a trip, we're bring our "furbabies" this trip and keeping them at the TTC kennels so we'll be stopping in to check on them a couple of times a day too. I keep telling them they're going on vacation too...I don't think they'll quite see it that way

We are both SO looking forward to this trip. It's been an exhausting year for both of us at work...not complaining, we are very grateful to have good jobs but still this trip is very NEEDED to recharge our engines! I'm very lucky to have an understanding boss who has OK'd 3 weeks of vacation for me - I had to cancel a week in April due to the workload. I've never had a 3 week vacation before, it will be wonderful...strange...but wonderful.

Speaking of work, I guess I'd better get going and get some done! I'll be checking back a LOT this week in my "ramp-up" to Disney EXCITEMENT!! I'll be sure to post TRs, maybe even some while we're there...I CAN'T WAIT!!!!
WHOOHOO!!!
Millie

On the ADR, I called early on the first day of the "window" and still could only get a 2:00 pm ressie at Le Cellier (Crystal Palace too). So on those days we'll flip-flop our dining. Have really nice "lunches" and then use the counter service for dinner.

We're also eating off-property on our first day there, saving a TS to put toward Citricos. Ditto for lunch so we'll have 1 TS and 2 CS "vouchers" for our loooonnng day at MK.

We have 4 "furbabies", 2 kitties and 2 pups. The kitties are staying home with a sitter and the pups, a chihuhua (12 yrs) and mini doxie (5 yrs) are coming with us. They are good on road trips, I'm just feeling a little guilty about putting them in a kennel. They ususally have a sitter too, but our dog sitter retired and we haven't found someone else yet.

I requested the Mansions for proximity to the pool and food court but the Bayou would be OK too since we've never stayed there. We'll have our own vehicle this time so transportation isn't an issue, I just like to be in the "center" of the resort.

Can't wait for the beignets at POFQ either!!

Thanks for all the warm welcomes everyone!


The furbabies get along pretty well. The oldest is our cat, Kittie, he's about 22 yrs old - he was a stray so we don't really know for sure...other than we've had him for 19 years and he was an adult when we found him...correction when he found US!!

The next oldest is Nippie, our chihuahua and she's probably the snarkiest....loves people, especially children (I know strange huh!!)...but other dogs must "mind their manners" around her.

Next is Reilly the Doxie, and he just a loveable, little Tank!! not too graceful but full of joy!

Last is Chloe, our most recent addition. A tortoise shell, domestic short-hair that someone abandoned in our complex. She of course found us and thought "jackpot"!! She actually walks along with me and the dogs on our morning walk. The neighbors think it's hysterical!!

You can see the "family" on Nippie's Dogster page...including our Millie who we lost last summer after 17 wonderful years. She LOVED her Minnie ears!!

http://www.dogster.com/dogs/803897

I'm really looking forward to this trip. Probably more than any in recent memory. For lots of reasons...the resort, the dining and just getting away for awhile. The "outside" world ceases to exist while we're at WDW!!

That's the "magic" of Disney for us. Last year, we flew and took the Magical Express to our resort and when we set foot on Disney property we both just turned to each other and smiled...no words were necessary, we were home!

Hey where to you all get the cool avatars/pics? I'd love a Maleficent pic...my "alter ego"

Thanks for the tip...OK, I REALLY need to go read some of the other threads. Any suggestions for good ones to read with an imminent trip to the world. I'll eventually make my way through all of them...but time is of the essence!!!

Millie

Thanks dsoup...she's my alter ego

I collect Malefecint and Tigger pins!!! Which my DH has great fun with!!