BOOKED again :)

It’s official: we are booked to travel to the world in 17 days. The ressies are for AK but I am secretly hoping we get a shot at the Beach Club. We are going have some new dining experiences and just have a great time. I am hoping to spend a lot of time at the pools and just unwind. We will definitely do our old faithfuls. Stay tuned for more information on our weekend runaway

a Morning of Magic and Meeting Liners

We made rope drop for the 1st time ever this am @ MK… it was awesome and I don’t know why we have never done it before! It literally gave me chill bumps to experience that Magic!

We were able to walk onto virtually every ride this am, which was wonderful. We met up with Nicole from Liners and she has been our pal since this am (what a doll!) We had a HUGE cinnamon (split it) from the MK Bakery this am. Here is the princess before the dive in began:

We rode People Mover, Rocket Ride (can’t remember its name) Space Mountain, Peter Pan, Its a Small World, Carousel of Progress, Pirates, Splash Mountain, the Jungle Cruise, and Swiss Family Treehouse. Big Thunder Mountwain was closed for refurbishment! We saw Aladdin and Jasmine, Chip and Dale, Lady Trumaine and the Evil SS’s, Daisy Duck, and Stitch. We didn’t wait in any character lines for pictures or autographs, just saw them as we were meandering the park. We hid from a downpour while eating lunch @ Peco’s Bills (I had the build it yourself Taco Salad, YUM!) We were able to score some mood bracelets for my Princess and Nicole’s Princess, as well as some pressed pennies. We parted ways to bring the princess back to the hotel for a swim… did I say BRRRRRRRRR??!!!! (sitting by the Jambo pool as I type this!)

The plan for the evening is for the princess to go to Simba’s Clubhouse and Nicole and I will eat at Tokyo Dining then the Liners meetup at La Hacienda. It’s gonna be an awesome nice… more to come!

We arrived!

It was a pretty bouncy flight into Orlando, and of course a jerky and hot ride on the Magical Express to AK Jambo, but we made it! We checked into the hotel and ate a quick bite @ Jiko. I had the Woodfired Chicken/Bacon/Pesto Bread and the Princess had chicken, mac and cheese, and strawberries. It was a pretty good meal for a sit down and being able to eat off the regular non DDP menu was much cheaper and more choices. Then it was time for bed!

Almost time!!!

We fly south in 3 days! So far the weather looks amazing at sunny and mid-70s all weekend long! I am keeping my fingers crossed that it stays that way! I have managed to keep it a secret from the princess. Not quite sure how I will reveal this time, unless I just surprise her at the airport. However I do it, I will have to ensure that the Prince doesn’t figure it out so he won’t be upset. Stay tuned, for the reveal and our Journey!

Food at the World

We head to the world in 16 days and I am starting to get GIDDY with excitement. I am trying to plan this trip without the princess knowing, so it’s been all done at work or in the cover of darkness while my blessings slept. We have always done the Disney Dining Plan on all of our trips since 2009, but this time we are doing  a change-up… I am going to attempt to utilize the Tables in Wonderland discount card! The cost of the card is $75 but it saves 20% off your total bill on your drinks/dining, etc. If I chose to go the DDP route this trip our cost would be $199.68 for 3 days. My goal is stay under that and I am not including the cost of the TiW card as it is an annual card. I have picked out our restaurants and made dining reservations. We are going to see if we can make this work better for our dining needs, as we truly waste SO much food in the world!

Flying High

SW had a GREAT fare sale, so now little bit and I will be taking a 1 hour flight to the World instead of the 6.5 hour drive. She still has no idea about the trip or the flight so I know she will be over the moon, flying high!

37 days out and Dining is booked!!

Well it’s official. We are 37 days out from our mommy/daughter trip. I have booked dining at 4 places and am hoping to see a HUGE difference in our dining this time since we will be using Tables in Wonderland discount card instead of dining plan. We are set to have breakfast @ Kona, late lunch @ Teppan Edo, lunch at LeCellier, and dinner at La Hacienda. 2 of these restaurants will be new to us and 1 of them we have only ever done dinner not breakfast. I am really looking forward to this time with my princess!!! We will be staying at AK Jambo with a Savannah View

Disney Dining Plan

We spent $463.84 on the DDP for 4 people for 4 days. That included 4 counter service meals, 4 table service meals and 4 snacks per day. After putting all of my receipts together, this is how it panned out:

Counter Service Meals $176.52
Table Service Meals $367.19
Snacks $57.65
Tips $62.10

So had we made the purchases off the DDP, it would have cost us $663.43. Being on the plan, we saved $199.62. I figured the tips in because it came out of my pocket and in the end should be included.

All this being said, I think DDP is not something we will NOT do again. I say that because it was WAY TOO MUCH food for us, and we wound up wasting credits and getting whatever on the last day. Also, the prince didn’t eat many of his meals, so his were a waste and cashed in for things we could bring home. For our next adventure I think we will invest in Tables in Wonderland, which offers 20% off all purchases of food and alcohol (which I don’t consume). This seems to be what would work best for us since we don’t eat all that food, and sometimes the Prince doesn’t even eat. I will do a TIW comparison on the next trip when we have plans again

Let me say for record that we WOULD do DDP if staying on a non-DVC package and the DDP was the free-pin. Also, IF I were ever to take an adult only trip, I may consider it.

Hope this helps someone decide if the plan will work for their family.

The Headless Horseman

My goal was to get a “good” shot of the Headless Horseman as he led the Boo to you Parade. I set myself across the street from the Diamond Horseshoe near the Goofy Candy Light Ball so that my camera would have proper lighting without the flash. I took a lot of advice from Liners and from a blog that was posted here for me on how to get a good shot. I took about 10 continuous shots, 3 were bad, 6 were good, and in my opinion, 1 was the best! I was able to blur the background/people and focus in on the horseman himself.. I also got the “lit” pumpkin. I am pretty dang proud of this picture. The ONLY things I would change would be that he would be centered in this picture, but hey that’s what editing is for. And that the horses feet were clearer and not slightly blurred. So without further ado, here is one of my proudest shots from this trip…. THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN 10/30:

THANKS FOR LETTING ME SHARE WITH YOU ALL!!

Meeting the 7 Dwarfs

We spent our 2nd day at Magic Kingdom. We 1st went to eat lunch at our favorite off resort place. The Princess swam at the pool and played some games with the other kiddos around the pool. We then headed to Magic Kingdom for some fun before the Halloween Party. We rode some rides and strolled around the park. My goal was to be @ the 7 Dwarfs meeting spot by 545. We made it, and we were 1st in line!! While we waited the hour and 15 minutes for the Dwarfs to show up, the Prince and Princess put on their costumes and we ate some dinner while waiting. It was so neat to be the 1st in line to see the Dwarfs.  

These and many other photos from this night will be forever be some of my favorites!