florida 2012

an introduction to this blog

Sometime in June 2011, you could find my family in Branson, MO on vacation. We go to Branson often. Three to four times a year, minimum. It started because we liked it there. Then I made friends that live there, and now we go to vacation and see friends and it's all just gotten twisted up together. 

So we're in Branson, visiting Silver Dollar City. While SDC is a very nice theme park, we've been there many, many times in the ten years since our first Branson visit. We were floating through The Flooded Mine, which is a slow boat ride featuring guns where you shoot at little circle targets (and more famously called "Shoot the Os" by family), when a thought struck me.

I was done with Branson trips. I wasn't even trying to shoot the targets. The animatronics were lame. The shooting was a waste of my time. In fact, the whole of being at Silver Dollar City just wasn't doing anything for me. I needed to step away from the Branson and do something different.

It's not as if we haven't ever done that in the past. We've gone to Walt Disney World... in 1995, 2000, 2004 and 2007. We visited Disneyland in 1992, 1998 and 2009. (I actually fit in a solo trip to DL in 2001, but let's not get all picky here.) We've planned WDW trips many times, most recently for the time in which we were floating through the mine, then had to cancel due to budget crises or just a change of heart. 

This time, we aren't going to change our mind. We're going to make our dreams come true.

Cue cheesy Laverne and Shirley music.

So no sooner did we get home from our Branson trip than I started thinking about Disney. Where we would stay. What package we would get. How long we would stay.

And so the planning began...

my rant about premium prices and premium products

Why did I start a trip planning blog?

Well, first... I like to talk. A lot. 

And second, I like trip reports. I like to read them. I like discovering what other people have done, why they did it, whether they liked it or not.

And third, I want to journal about the why behind some of the decisions we've made regarding this trip. I have strong feelings about these decisions... and when, six months from now, I'm wondering why I ever thought something was a good idea, I want to be able to read my reasoning.

For example...

One day, not long after getting back from that now notorious vacation, I was a guest on a digital scrapbooking podcast. I was asked what software I use to design and create layouts. I was asked what camera I use. The actual brands aren't important, but know that I use software many consider incomplete and a less than impressive camera. Yet, I manage to produce a quality product.

It was during that podcast that I said the quote at the top of this blog --- You don't have to spend a lot of money to do something well. 

That's pretty much my philosophy of life. It's the moments that are more important than the things. 

About this same time, a debate was ongoing on one of my favorite Disney websites. Disney is trying to wean the public off discounts. Since 2011, Disney has offered huge discounts on packages (including free dining) but Disney no longer wants to give these steep discounts in order to fill on property hotels. The economy is recovering (according to Disney... not me) and people will pay a premium price for a premium product.

I agree. I will pay a premium price for a premium product. I'm willing to pay $15 for Schwans precooked bacon... about a pound and a half equivalent. Maybe. I don't mind paying it because there's nothing I hate more than frying bacon, and for being precooked, it's damn good bacon.

Or I'll order a $40 backpack from Lands End for my daughter because we didn't like any of the choices at Target, and I wanted something that would last her three remaining years of high school. 

I'm your average middle class consumer and I'll pay a premium price for a premium product.

I just don't think Disney has a premium product. 

With our family of 5 (including 3 teenagers), my choices are limited.

1. We could stay in a family suite at either All Star Music or the new Animation of Art resort opening just before we plan to arrive.

I don't like this option much at all. The values and their over the top theming do not appeal to me at all. I teach pre-K special ed for a living. I do not want to vacation somewhere loud and bright and full of energy. I want to escape and relax and breathe. I love children, yes I do, but I don't want to vacation like one. Also, the fold-out chairs and sofas are not appealing to my teens. I don't blame them. Plus, this option is $350/night. That's a whole lotta money for something I don't find appealing.

2. We could stay in a Deluxe.

No. Just no. No hotel room is worth $500+ a night. I love the idea of a deluxe. But $500 could buy my daughter a car. Not a great car, but a car. And that's for one night. I think staying at a deluxe would make me certifiably insane. I can stay in a condo in Branson for a week for $500. One night. That bathroom better have gold plated toilet paper and caviar toothpaste.

3. We could stay at Port Orleans Riverside.

This is the most palatable of the options, for a variety of reasons. We love Riverside. There's nothing like catching a boat to downtown Disney, being in the quiet of the resort in the early morning, eating at the food court. I think we love this place more than any other place we've ever stayed, and we've stayed a lot of places. It's the cheapest of the options as well. However, it has a lot of negatives. One room means one bathroom. A trundle means my six foot tall son will be performing contortions every night to sleep. And did I mention one bathroom? For 2 adults and 3 teens, including a teen daughter?

So Disney offers us three options (and before you say, renting timeshare points during the time we want to go and for the length of time we want to go is far more expensive than even the deluxe option), and none of them seem like a great value to me.

I feel as if my only choice to combat Disney's error in perceiving their product as a premium product is to stay offsite. As I'm typing, we're looking at a pool home in Windsor Hills which is fairly close to Disney property. For about $1200 less than Riverside and $2500 less than a family suite, we can stay in a 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom home with our own pool. 

It's not even fair to compare based on prices. I mean, it's a small miracle that we're saving money in addition to gaining space. 4 bedrooms. 4 bathrooms. A full kitchen. A living room where we can curl up and read. A pool with a lanai. Our own pool chairs so we can read by the pool. We can eat breakfast by the pool. We can jump in the pool. Any time we want.

We'll give up a little of the magic of staying on site. We'll have to rent a car. We've grown used to not driving when we're on a Disney vacation. However, having a car will mean we have the ability to explore a little more of the Orlando area. We can buy our groceries offsite. We can eat offsite. We can souvenir shop offsite. 

I really don't think we're going to miss the whole staying onsite experience. My kids were at first hesistant to embrace the idea of renting a home. Then they started looking a pictures of the homes and started thinking about the space and let's face it, pool, and they realized we could give a little to get a whole lot.

So we'll see where this goes. I was sort of hoping for another free dining offer like I booked last year (and had to cancel), but Disney does not seem to be wanting to offer that, or at least not until closer to our travel dates. That ticks me off just enough to have me saying forget it, we'll go offsite.

We'll try out my philosophy. We're not going to spend a lot of money -- or at least not a Disney lot of money -- and we're going to do this trip well. 

Stayed tuned for more...

 

why stay offsite?

Everyone knows the advantages to staying on Disney property. You get Magical Express to take you directly to your hotel and don’t have to pick up your luggage from the airport. You can use Disney transportation your entire trip and never have to drive. You get the Disney magic… all the time.

Why stay offiste?

1. Because it’s not all magic, all the time. I teach pre-K. I breath fun and playing and magic. Sometimes, I just need to step away from it. Let’s be honest, I had meltdowns on each of our last two WDW trips. I didn’t have one in Disneyland. In fact, I consider our Disneyland trip the trip of my dreams. It was simply perfect. Was that because we stayed offsite and could get away from the theme park atmosphere and breathe? I don’t know. But I do know that even when we were at WDW in 2007, my favorite days were the pool days. Not the theme park days… the days we sat by the pool. I get simply cannot handle the constant Disney barrage on your sense… there’s always music playing, there’s always something to look at. I know there are many that wouldn’t give up the magic of being on property for anything. I also know that I won’t miss it.

2. The opportunity to explore more of Orlando. We’re used to tacky touristy stuff. We go to Branson all the time and the strip is full of tacky and touristy. We’re bored of it. We need some Florida tacky. Some orange stands. Gatorland. And hey, since we’re going to have a rental car…. let’s go to that big McDonalds, and eat at Perkins and shop at outlet malls… and go to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Let’s explore.

3. The space. I don’t really like staying in one hotel room with my three kids. My husband snores and they’re not used to hearing it (unlike me) so it keeps them awake. Chesney is a flopper and her flip flopping keeps me awake. One room doesn’t give us any room to get away from each other, and we do need to get away from each other. When we’re looking at an extended stay, we’ve got to look at more than one room. I love to rent a condo or cabin when we’re on vacation because it gives us a kitchen (we do like to eat a slow breakfast while we’re on vacation) and a living room, so we can sit and read or watch TV. I can’t even imagine how much we’re going to enjoy having our own pool. We’ll leave a pool if it’s too crowded. Now we’ll be the only ones there. 

4. Washer and dryer. I wasn’t going to give this it’s own bullet point, but I don’t think you fully appreciate how nice it is to have a washer and dryer at your disposal on vacation until you’ve done it. It allows us to take less clothing in the first place. If I drip taco sauce (or let’s be honest, margarita) on my favorite shirt, I can go back and throw it right in the washer. Then swim or soak while I wait for it to wash. I don’t have to spend a week doing laundry when we get home. I’ve done laundry in a laundry room on Disney property, but it’s just so much nicer to have one at my disposal. Not sure I could go back. 

5. Somtimes... most of the time... I have a need to be contrary. If someone tells me to go left, I zig right. If someone tells me something won't work, I'll by george make it work. Or at least give it a good try. And if everyone is saying that staying onsite is the only way to go, well I've got to prove that you can have an amazing trip and stay off site. There's the added little thrill of not falling prey to the giant Disney machine, either. I love that bit of rebellion that says, "I'm not going to pay $350 per ngiht for one of your dinky little family suites, which are really just a dressed up Motel 6, and at the same time I'm going to have my own car, which means I'm also not forced to live off your dining choices for two weeks. Oh, and my souvenir money? I'm not going to spend it all on property either." I know that losing the vacation money of my little family of five probably isn't going to matter to Disney, but it matters a lot to me. 

6. The cost. It's a lot cheaper to stay off site. I actually had left this one off my list because it's really not that important to us in planning this particular trip. However, it is a very important factor to some. We once went to Orlando and stayed in a motel for $29/night because that was all we could afford, so I get the whole budget thing. You can get a decent hotel with a free breakfast near WDW for $100. A timeshare suite for probably around the same. A 3 bedroom townhome with a splash pool for close to $100/night. In comparison, the cheapest Disney room for our dates (and our family configuration) is $248 for one room, one bathroom, no free breakfast. Yes, we'll have to rent a car and pay for parking, but the $148 savings is going to more than cover that difference.

I honestly can't say which factor was the most important in our decision. I only know that when we sat down and looked at not just the money, but the space and other factors, we couldn't see how we could possibly want to stay on property. 

how we chose a rental home for our Orlando vacation

1. Decide where you want to stay. There are many subdivisions near Walt Disney World that have rentals. Windsor Hills is one of the newest and gets the most reviews on Disney sites. Windsor Palms, Emerald Island, and Indian Creek are also frequently mentioned. 

2. Start asking for quotes. An easy way to do this is to submit an inquiry at www.windsorhillsrent.com for the size home you are wanting. We were torn between a 3 bedroom town home (which features a small splash pool behind the home) and a 4 bedroom villa (which is a separate home with its own pool). In the end, the 3 bedroom town homes which really interested me were within $500 of the price of the villa. It’s worth $500 to me to have our own pool over a two week stay. Windsor Palms has a similar system. If you’re interested in other areas, www.vrbo.com and www.homeaway.com are good places to start.

3. Read the offers. I specifically requested that quotes be given to me including tax (because the one I really wanted and ended up booking included tax and it made them easier to compare). I automatically deleted any responses that did not include the quote I requested or wanted me to check availability on their website. That’s why I submitted the request… so that only those with availability would contact me. I also deleted any that didn’t include a website so I could look at photos of the home.

4. Look at photos. If a quote passed the first test, I’d look at the website. It really helps if the website is user friendly, but most are not. Makes me want to go into business making websites for people who own vacation rentals. I almost always automatically discarded the home if all the walls were white. White walls say the owner doesn’t care enough to keep it modern or to put some personality into it. Mykiah threw out any houses with princess or Mickey rooms. We’re a little past the kiddie room stage. We understand that the theme rooms appeal to many who are looking to rent an offsite home… it’s just not us. 

5. Get the family involved. OK, kids, I’ve narrowed it down to these 5 places, and this is why. What do you think? And then I promptly discarded all their ideas. Not really. Well maybe. Seriously… I’m the one organizing and planning this trip. I get about 100 votes and they each get one. Dan got maybe 20. Again, me = organizer and planner for trip. I’m the one who is going to shoulder responsibility if I choose a bad place, and get the glory if I choose a great place. So I have the final decision.

6. Check the tax records for the home you’re considering. Be sure the person who you are emailing is the listed owner of the home. Be sure they’ve paid their taxes. Here’s the websites to check Windsor Hills homes: Osceola County Taxes Property Search 

7. Read reviews on the home. TripAdvisor is a good place to start. Many vacation homes are listed on TripAdvisor and on TripAdvisor, the home owner doesn’t get the right to censor reviews. Many home websites will feature tesitmonials (as will HomeAway or VRBO, popular vacation rental websites) but on those websites, the home owner can decide whether the review is posted to the public or not. So you’re going to read all positive reviews. Another option is to visit the DisBoards and post asking for reviews, or do a search of the boards looking for reviews. You’ll find the friendliest and most experienced offsite people on the Orlando Hotels and Attractions board. 

8. Contact the owner and put down the deposit. 

To get you started, here’s some homes from our short list:

www.romancingthemouse.com

www.5mins2Disney.com

www.letsgoseemickey.com

www.houseforrentflorida.net (these homes are not in Windsor Hills, which is the community I really wanted, but they looked so nice that I was really drawn to them. They are a bit further away in Indian Creek.)

And some other recommended places from my adventures around Disney planning land:

www.storytimeorlandorental.com

www.laughingplacevilla.com

www.themagicorlandorental.com

www.mickeysworld.net

http://www.florida-sunvillas.com/ 

If you're nervous about renting direct from owner, there are two management companies that get fairly good reviews. You'd probably get a better rate going through an owner, but by booking through the management company, you get the peace of mind knowing that if something happens to the house you rented, they have other houses in the area: 

http://www.floridasunvacationhomes.com/

http://www.allstarvacationhomes.com/

DIY project: My Disney hat

I've spent the last few months admiring this hat on Etsy.

When I tour a theme park, 90% of the time I wear a hat. I like to keep the sun out of my eyes. I don't like to worry about how my hair looks. If it rains, I want something to keep the rain off my face.

I usually end up buying a baseball cap on one of our first days at the park. This time, I had a vision.

Except I didn't want to pay for it. I wanted to create it.

I ordered a black engineer's cap off Ebay for less than $10 delivered.

I went through my stash of flower headbands and found one that I haven't worn since we visited Disneyland (although I wear headbands every day during the school year, this one is rather large, and pretty much pukes Disney, so it had been retired). I also found a headband that I like, but had a surplus of yellow rolled flowers. I laid it all out.

I did pick up a needle and thread and try to sew the flower to the hat. I used a bunch of thread. I got the red and white outside of the flower attached pretty well using this method, but that yellow flower is just too thick for my needle. I managed one basting stitch and that was it.

So I bought a hot glue gun and used two sticks on the hat. I think with the thread to secure the outside flower and tons of hot glue for the rest... I should be good. As long as I remember to take it off before I launch off on Rock N Roller Coaster, right?

Here's the finished product:

 

And one of me modeling:

Disclaimer: I took this on Sunday, so no makeup and a nasty shirt. Also, I forgot to stick my chin out, so I apologize for the full-on double chin. I'll remember next time I take a picture of myself using my iPhone.

No I won't. But I'll still regret the double chin.

Mykiah's in charge of the next blog post. I'm thinking food...

Some Disney reading...

I thought once a month or so I'd highlight some of my favorite Disney reading on the internet. This is the first of these posts... let me know if you like them. :)

The best trip report I've read recently is Most Expensive/Moist Exhausting at DisBoards. Glennbo tells a good story and takes some decent photos. He gets extra credit points for organizing his trip report well. While I understand that there's a huge part of trip reporting that includes people commenting and forming friendships, etc.... I just like to read the report, thankyouverymuch. I love his indexed links. Makes my little organized, clean and simple heart happy.

Another interesting read is What We Ate with Mickey.

Great blog written by a guest who was on the Quick Service Dining Plan. If you're debating dining plans, this is a great read. Even if you're not debating dining plans (as we are not because we're staying offsite), it's a nice way to see what is offered at the various counter service options in the parks. 

Just a word of warning... if you're like me and already sad that you won't be staying at Riverside next trip... they eat at Riverside Mill a lot. Do you think Dan will let me stop by just to pick up a Magic Bar?

While we're talking about Disney food...

 The Disney Food Blog, which is an essential read if you're planning to visit Disney any time soon, recently reviewed the new menu at Sci Fi Dine In Theater. Mykiah and I were anxious to read this one. We've eaten at Sci Fi our last two trips, and it's become a favorite. We were going to skip it this trip because the menu didn't quite fit our tastes any longer, but then it changed and I'm thinking that turkey sandwich sounds divine. Some other great blog entries at DFB are Disney Cupcakes, Best Disney Restaurants for Vegetarians, and Top 10 Tips.

Wrapping up this week, our family has been talking about trying an Ultimate Touring Plan next trip (won't be happening because Dan just is not up to the challenge). However, it sure is fun to read about them (or follow along as I did last Saturday and Monday on Twitter). An Ulitmate Touring Plan means seeing every attraction in a given park in one day. There is a Hall of Fame for those who accomplish this feat and, I imagine, a great sense of self-congratulations. One of my favorite blog entries about an Ultimate Tour is Ultimate Magic Kingdom Part 1 and Part 2.

More fun reading next week... unless I manage to actually complete a Disney releated project....

a change in plans

As you may know if you've been reading this blog, we booked a pool home back in July for our June 2012 trip. Early? Yes, but we really wanted a specific home and were ready to put down a deposit to hold it.

We last heard from the owners back in September, when they asked if we'd change to a different house they own. I replied, heard from the owner that he'd double check something and then send me a confirmation.

And that was it. 

There have been some rumblings in the Disney online community that these owners have stopped replying to emails. People have sent in their reservation requests and haven't heard back for 6+ weeks causing them to choose to rent elsewhere. People who were about to travel could not get in touch with the owner. And there is no phone number on the rental website.

I let it go because hey, we're not renting for over six months. 

Until I realized that we chose this company because of their customer service. And not sending a confirmation for months is simply not good customer service. Not answering requests for reservations is not good business practice. 

I felt uncomfortable. And when you're booking a private home six months in advance, uncomfortable is not something you want to feel. What if we get to June and I can't get in touch with the owner? I'm going to worry about this. Not constantly, but niggling worry.

I attempted to contact the owners not once, but twice. I sent an email almost three weeks ago and again a week ago. The first was simply a request for the confirmation as promised. The second was more to the point regarding their lack of contact. No response to either.

Yesterday, I cancelled. I was uncomfortable about the situation and that's enough for me. There will be no penalty (the liberal cancellation policy is one of the reasons I chose this home).

We're going to play it safe when we rebook. Either a timeshare resort or a suite hotel. Something that has a brand name behind it. It took a lot of thought for us to go with a pool home, and honestly, the idea of 4 bedrooms with a large private pool was amazing. The price was more than right. And now we've lost a trust in that and want familiarity and respectibility. 

I'm more than OK with this. I'm content with the decision we have made. I was dying to find a discount so we could switch to onsite because I wanted an excuse to back out of the pool home. I decided I don't need an excuse. The pool home just isn't the place for us (and yes, we could book with different owners, but it's just not what we want right now). 

More as we finalize our decision on new accomodations...

ADR's

Hello everyone! I'm Mykiah (age 15) and I'm in charge of helping my mom with ADR's for our upcoming June 2012 Walt Disney World/Universal Studios Vacation. Our vacation will last 15 days, 10 of which we will be spending in Walt Disney World. As of right now we have scheduled 5 ADR's for our vacation. The first reservation we made is for the third day of our vacation. This day also happens to be father's day, so we let my dad choose the meal for this day. My dad choose 50's Prime Time Cafe because of the comfort food, fun atmosphere, and our many family memories!

This photo was taken during our 2007 Walt Disney World vacation when my entire family was in Florida. We had a blast eating together. Our waiter was in character and had a few family members laughing until they cried! Below is the current lunch menu for 50's Prime Time:

Lunch

Appetizers/Starter

Beer Battered Onion Rings - Served with horseradish sauce. - $7.99
Blue Claw Crab Cake - Lump crab cake served in succotash with chili sauce and crispy onions. - $8.49

Soups/Salads

Aunt Annie's Seafood Salad - Lump Blue Crab, Bay Scallops, and Shrimp tossed in Citrus Vinaigrette served on seasonal greens - $9.99
Chicken Noodle Soup - Hearty mixture of chicken, vegetables, and egg noodles. - $6.49
Iceberg Lettuce Wedge - Blue cheese Dressing, Bacon and Chives - $5.49

Entree/Main Course

A sampling of Mom's favorite recipes - Crispy fried chicken, fork tender pot roast and traditional meatloaf with all the fixins - $19.99
Aunt Liz's Golden Fried Chicken - Served with Mashed Potatoes, Chicken gravy, and Southern greens - $15.99
Ceasar Salad with Chicken - Romaine lettuce tossed with ceasar dressing, grated parmesan cheese and garlic croutons topped with sliced grilled chicken $13.49 with Salmon $15.49 - $13.49
Cousin Eric's Char-grilled Chicken Sandwich - Marinated chicken breast topped with cheddar, grilled onions, BBQ sauce, lettuce, and tomato on a Kaiser roll served with a House salad or French fries. - $13.49
Dad's Traditional Meatloaf - A blend of beef and pork topped with tomato glaze served with mashed potatoes, and green beans. - $14.99
Fish Sandwich - Fried beer-battered haddock on a crusty roll with lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce served with a House salad or French fries. - $11.99
Grandma's Chicken Pot Pie - Creamy cheese mixture of chicken, mushrooms, carrots, celery, onions, and peas topped with a flaky pastry - $16.99
Mom's Old-Fashioned Pot Roast - Slow-cooked 'til fork tender served with mashed potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions. - $17.99
Stacked Sandwich - Your choice of smoked turkey or ham on multigrain bread with lettuce, tomato, Swiss cheese and mayonnaise, served with a House salad or potato chips. - $11.99
Uncle Dana's Artichoke and Risotta Agnolotti - Pearl pasta with roasted zucchini and crookneck squash with a spicy tomato broth - $16.99

Dessert

50's Boston cream Parfait - layers of chocolate fudge, vanilla cream and pound cake topped with whipped cream - $5.49
Dad's Brownie Sundae - Rich fudge brownie with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge and caramel topping. - $5.99
Ice Cream Sundaes - Hot Fudge, Caramel, or Strawberry sundae. - $4.99
No sugar added cheesecake - Topped with fresh whipped cream and strawberry sauce - $5.49
S'mores - A graham cracker square, topped with chocolate and yummy toasted marshmallows. - $4.79
Seasonal Cobbler - Served a la mode $7.49 - $5.49

Drinks

Dad's Classic Cocktails - Choose from Cosmopolitan, Classic Martini, Grand Margarita, or Singapore Sling.
Flavored Sodas - Coke blended with vanilla or cherry flavors. Unlimited Refills. - $3.19
Ice Cream Sodas - Choose your flavor, featuring Coca-Cola products. - $4.29
Mega-berry Smoothie - Raspberry puree and nonfat yogurt blended with Odwalla Berries GoMega (an excellent source of Omega-3). - $4.69
Mickey's Bee Bop Drink - Delicious cherry-flavored Sprite with Dad's Glowing Electric Ice Cubes served in a Souvenir cup. - $5.99
Milk Shakes and Malts - Choice of vanilla or chocolate. - $4.99
Root Beer or Coke Float - Served with vanilla ice cream. - $4.69
Selection of 10 Different Wines - Choose from a variety of reds, whites, and sparkling.
Selection of Bottled Beer - Budweiser, Coors Light, or O'Doul's , Yuengling, Samuel Adams, Heineken, or Corona , and Bass Ale or Stella Artois
Selection of Draft Beer - Miller Lite or Bud Light and Michelob Ultra or Michelob Amber Bock

 

---

The next dining reservation we schedued was for lunch 2 days later at Tusker House. The reasoning behind this reservation is actually partly because of my influence. I would consider my brother and I adventurous eaters...for the most part. My sister will pretty much eat anything you put in front of her. My mom and dad..not so much. This is why Tusker House took my siblings and I a little more convincing than other ADR's. The lunch menu includes an assortment African and American dishes. Below is a list of items included in the Lunch Buffet and a few pictures of the Buffet itself: 

 

Lunch Buffet - Appetizers: Spicy South African preserves, Tabbouleh, Hummus and Baba Ghanoush, Endive/Apple/Walnut salad, Caesar salad, Mixed Greens salad, Tomato & Cucumber salad, Sliced Turkey/Ham/Cheese, Tunisian Couscous salad, Green bean & onion salad, Curried rice salad and Fresh fruit. Vegetarian Table: Marrakesh couscous, Vegetable samaosa, Spiced Tandoori Tofu, Jollaf rice, and Pearl couscous with sweet basil essence. Kids Selections: PB&J sandwich, Corn dog nuggets, Mac & Cheese, Corn medley, Chicken Drumsticks, Green beans, and Mashed potatoes. Adult Selections: Salmon filet, Root veggies, Seafood stew, Orzo pasta, green bean medley, Rotisserie chicken, potato wedges, mashed potatoes, Carved top sirloin and pork loin, Cape Malay curry chicken, and Basmati rice with almonds. Dessert Selections: Fruit cobbler, Warm banana-cinnamon bread pudding with vanilla sauce, and assorted pastries.

I'm super pumped to try some of the traditional African dishes and Brady will like the many vegetarian options! There's a 99.9% chane my dad's plate will come entirely from the kid's selections, but It's one meal that the rest of the family is really looking forward to! The third ADR we made is for dinner at the Plaza the following day. This reservation was made because we wanted at least one "sit down" meal at each park and we needed one for Magic Kingdom. The time we scheduled it for is around an hour later than we would normally eat, but we are planning to stay for fireworks this night because the following day is a break day, and It's a good way to pass the time. The Plaza is a fairly safe place to eat. They have burgers for dad, salads for me, and a veterian option for Brady.

Lunch (Updated: 09/11)

Entree/Main Course

Angus Chuck Cheeseburger - Served on a flour-dusted Kaiser roll with lettuce, tomato, and onion. Choose from the following toppings: Cheddar, American cheese, bacon, grilled mushrooms, or grilled onions. Served with your choice of broccoli slaw, homemade chips, or French fries. Add a soup of the day $3.99 or a tossed salad $4.49. Veggie Burger available upon request. - $12.99
Cheese Steak Sandwich - Shaved beef grilled with onions, mushrooms, red peppers, and American cheese served on a Hoagie Roll. Served with your choice of broccoli slaw, homemade chips, or French fries. Add a soup of the day $3.99 or a tossed salad $4.49. - $11.99
Chicken Strawberry Salad - Fresh garden greens, grilled chicken breast, fresh strawberries, and Gorgonzola tossed in a White Zinfandel Vinaigrette dressing. - $14.99
Grilled Chicken Sandwich - Grilled chicken breast topped with shaved ham and swiss cheese served on a flour-dusted Kaiser roll. Served with your choice of broccoli slaw, homemade chips, or French fries. Add a soup of the day $3.99 or a tossed salad $4.49. - $12.49
Grilled Reuben - Thinly sliced corned beef on grilled marble rye with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing. Served with your choice of broccoli slaw, homemade chips, or French fries. Add a soup of the day $3.99 or a tossed salad $4.49. - $10.99
Plaza Club - Smoked ham, turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise layered on sourdough bread. Served with your choice of broccoli slaw, homemade chips, or French fries. Add a soup of the day $3.99 or a tossed salad $4.49. - $11.49
Tuna Salad Sandwich - Tuna salad with lettuce and tomato on freshly baked croissant. Served with your choice of broccoli slaw, homemade chips, or French fries. Add a soup of the day $3.99 or a tossed salad $4.49. - $11.99
Turkey Sandwich - Smoked turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on toasted multi-grain bread. Served with your choice of broccoli slaw, homemade chips, or French fries. Add a soup of the day $3.99 or a tossed salad $4.49. - $11.49
Vegetarian Sandwich - Fresh mozzarella, hummus, basil pesto, cucumber, roasted red pepper, tomato, and lettuce on freshly baked focaccia. Served with your choice of broccoli slaw, homemade chips, or French fries. Add a soup of the day $3.99 or a tossed salad $4.49. - $10.99

Dessert
Brownie Sundae - Vanilla ice cream and a fudge brownie topped with hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry. - $5.99
Creamy Hand-Dipped Milk Shakes - Ice cream flavors: Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mint chocolate chip, no sugar added raspberry sherbet, no sugar added butter pecan, or nonfat chocolate-vanilla swirl. - $4.69
Ice Cream Float - Vanilla ice cream served with choice of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite, or Root beer. - $4.69
New York Style Cheesecake - Served with Strawberries - $5.49
No Sugar Added Ice Cream Shake - Vanilla-chocolate swirl or butter pecan. - $4.69
Original Banana Split - Chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream topped with hot fudge, strawberry sauce, crushed pineapple, chopped nuts, whipped cream, and a cherry - $7.99
The Plaza Restaurant Sundae - Ice Cream of your choice (Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mint chocolate chip, no sugar added raspberry sherbet, no sugar added butter pecan, or nonfat chocolate-vanilla swirl) topped with choice of hot fudge, strawberry sauce, crushed pineapple, chopped nuts, whipped cream, and a cherry. - $4.99

The Plaza set up like cafe, with a connected ice cream parlor. They are famous for their ice cream desserts, which I'm certain we will be sampling.

The fourth location we will be dining at is scheduled for our 8th day. We choose Via Napoli for lunch at Epcot because we wanted to dine at one of the countries. My family is a big fan of Italian cuisine, so Via Napoli was an easy option. Mom has been wanting to eat here for years, so she is happy we have it scheduled. Below is Via Napoli's current lunch menu:

Appetizers
Sicilian Eggplant – pickled eggplant with olives, capers, tomato and raisins $8
Contadino Salad – colorful array of farm fresh greens, fagiolini, fennel, radish coins and tomatoes in a red wine vinaigrette $10
Arancini - (fried saffron risotto balls) with mozzarella and meat ragu $10
Calamari Fritti – corn crusted rings served with spicy tomato sauce $14
Minestrone – hearty vegetable soup of fagiolini, zucchini, peas, tomato, cannellini beans and basil pesto $8
Fritto Misto - an assortment of just-fried seasonal vegetables, fish, and cheese to be shared by the table; could include arancini, mozzarella, calamari, melanzane, asparagus, zucchini and carciofi (artichokes), Agro-Dolce sauce (Sweet and Sour Tomato Sauce) $24

Main Course Salads
Calamari – fried corn-crusted calamari with arugula, carrots and fennel with orange vinaigrette $18
Pollo - Chopped Salad with Lemon Chicken, Romaine, cantaloupe, cucumber, red pepper, green beans, vidalia onions, almonds and pasta crisps with honey-citrus vinaigrette $17
Bistecca – chopped mesclun, grilled steak, radicchio, watercress, tomato, red onion, Gorgonzola, apple and cucumber with a red wine-mustard vinaigrette $19

Pasta al Forno
Baked in our Signature Wood-Fired Ovens

Lasagna Verde – spinach, parmesan, besciamella $20
Candele – candle-stick pasta, sausage ragu, polpettine, mozzarella, ricotto $16

Pasta Di Via Napoli
Mafaldine Amatriciana – ribbon pasta, guanciale & pomodoro sauce finished with pecorino cheese $22
Spaghetti E Polpettine – hand-crafted veal meatballs and tomato sauce $19
Fusilloni Trapanese – large cork-screw pasta tossed in a southern Italian pesto of vine-ripened tomatoes, almonds and basil $17

Piatti alla Parmigiana
Traditional preparation served with Tomato Sauce topped & Gratineed with Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheese, served with Spaghetti Torta

Tortino di Malanzane – eggplant $18
Pollo - chicken breast $22
Vitello – veal cutlet $26

Wood-fired Pizzas
Wood-fired Pizza made with caputo flour imported from Southern Italy, San Marzano tomatoes, handmade mozzarella and water from a local spring just like in Italy’s Campania region. Three sizes: Individual; large with 8 slices; 20-inch or 1/2 meter to share with 12 slices

Margherita – tomato, mozzarella, basil $15 / $25 / $34
Quattro Stagioni – eggplant, artichokes, prosciutto, mushrooms $17 / $28 / $36
Pepperoni - spicy pepperoni, tomato, mozzarella $16 / $27 / $35
Calamari – fried calamari, arugula, fennel $17 / $28/ $36
Quattro Formaggi – mozzarella, parmesan, fontina, provolone $17 / $28/ $36
Ortolano – tomato, mozzarella, vegetables $15 / $25 / $34
Piccante – Italian Spicy Sausage, broccoli-rabe, tomato, mozzarella $17 / $28/ $36
Carciofi – artichoke, pecorino, mozzarella, truffle oil $17 / $29/ $36
Prosciutto E Melone – fontina, mozzarella, pecorino, prosciutto, canteloupe $17 / $28/ $36

Dolci / Dessert
Tiramisu – mascarpone cream, espresso coffee, lady fingers and chocolate $8
Gelato Frizzante – ice cream soda Italian style made with San Pellegrino aranciata and Vanilla ice cream $10
Gelati E Sorbetto – vanilla, chocolate, pistachio, lemon sorbet $7
Coppa Di Brutti Ma Buoni – Amarena cherry and vanilla gelato sundae with cookies $10

The family is looking forward to the "make your own pizza" option!

mmmmmmmm! The final ADR we placed is for our last morning in Walt Disney World. It is kind of a tradition for us. (if you count a tradition as eating there the last morning of our previous vacation) This meal also happens to be our only Character meal. It also happens to be my sister's favorite characters. OHANA! Last visit we loved the food and Chesney loved the character's. The Polonisian (location of Ohana) is absolutly gorgeous! I would LOVE to stay here!

Breakfast

Entree/Main Course

Ohana's Character Breakfast: Adult 7:30am - 11:00am - Hot & Delicious Scrambled eggs, fried potatoes with caramelized onions and scallions, pork breakfast sausage links, smoked bacon, and an assortment of warm breakfast breads. Seasonal fruit bowl available for children. Includes unlimited orange juice and milk. Prices vary 15.00-35.99  *

Pictures from our 2007 vacation:

my favorite guidebooks and podcasts

I've answered a few questions about my favorite Disney guidebooks in the last week or so. I do have my favorites, and I thought it might be fun to just write up a blog post about those I love.

First, I'm a Passporter gal. 

I was actually an early adopter of the Passporter. The first edition was in 1999, and I used one in 2000. Got a tip published in the 2001 edition, too. 

I bought a Deluxe Edition in 2004 and have used it for 3 trips -- 2004, 2007 and 2009 at Disneyland. My 2012 refill arrived this week and Mykiah and I had way too much fun filling it up.

For the new Disney planner, Passporter is a nice all around guide book. It offers a nicely written guidebook, along with some of the best park maps available in any book. My favorite part of the Passporter are the PassPockets at the back of each book. Not only is each pocket an envelope to hold any receipts or memorabilia you may gather throughout the day, but the pocket itself has a daily schedule and other prompts to help you jot down your memories of the day. One of my favorite things to do after a long day in the park is unwind by sitting on the bed and writing all over my Passpockets. And I do mean writing all over. I have every Passpocket from every trip and I have written in every nook and cranny in an attempt to jot down our memories while they are still fresh. 

My second favorite Disney guidebook is The Complete Walt Disney World.

For someone who has never been to WDW, or hasn't been in a few years, this is a great book. Not only are the photographs fun, but the details are all there. It's a lot of words to digest, but it's so much fun to read. Definitely a don't miss for your Disney library.

There's a third book that I like to buy, but I don't always recommend it for every Disney planner. If you're interested in learning the science behind Disney lines and can take some things with a grain of salt, The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World can be an interesting read. It's a huge book, and goes into detail about how lines work and how to avoid waiting in line. The best part of the book is the touring plans, which help you plan where to go and when. However, the touring plans are also available on the book's website, TouringPlans.com (The Touring Plans website is also available for those going to Disneyland... and oh, how I love Disneyland). This is a pay service, but you get access to their crowd prediction calendar, as well as tons of touring plans for every conceivable situation. A new feature on the Touring Plans website is beta testing of optimized touring plans. Basically, you can go in and tell it which attractions you want to visit in a day. Hit "optimize" and it will tell you what order to see the attractions. This is huge, people.

In addition to website access, your Touring Plans subscription will get you the Lines app for Android or iPhones. I love this little app, and we haven't even gone to the parks yet. While in the parks, it will give you actual and predicted wait times for any attraction in real time. So you're sitting down for lunch, and are planning where you want to go next. Pull out your smart phone, take a look at the app, and you'll see exactly where to go to avoid the lines. Cool, huh? Another nifty feature is the chat... got a Disney question. These people can answer it (and usually nicer than other other Disney message boards).

There are many other Disney guidebooks out there, of course. These are just my favorite. Your mileage may vary. I can't imagine going to Disney without my Passporter, though.

Finally, I wanted to recommend a new podcast.

I think I stumbled on Tom Bricker's Disney Tourist Blog from a post on the Touring Plans blog. If I remember correctly, it was a post about the best shoes to wear in the park and Tom was very critical of anyone who wore flip flops in the parks. I had to post to say that while I agree with not wearing the $1 flip flops you buy at Old Navy, I've done several trips in Crocs Athens or Teva Mush flip flops and they were my easiest trips ever for my feet. (I'm trying out the Keen flip flops this trip, by the way.) Anyway, he still disagreed with me, which is his perogrative, but it got me to looking at his website. 

It's a lot of eye candy if you are at all interested in photography. 

So when I read that he and some other Disney enthusiasts had started a photography blog... I was in. I think they still have some audio bumps to work out, but it's entertaining and interesting. I like to listen while I'm on the treadmill. Makes me happy.

You can check it out at the ISO 5571 website or on iTunes. Happy Listening!