I started packing yesterday! Wow what a pain...I guess it's better than unpacking! Packing for myself is bad enough but packing for a family - *faint* ....it is a little easier now that my youngest is past the princess days. We aren't schlepping a variety of gowns, crowns, shoes and hairbows. So we are packing "light". For us. (We still have a wardrobe of ears (I am so happy the girls will still wear "ears") and a huge Disney pin collection and of course tons of flip flops.
I finalized my dining..... I added the princess breakfast in Norway - it's been 2 years since we've done that & Jo is still young enough to enjoy it. I actually got a "go" from Lucy, too. In May, I ate dinner in the castle, and I have to say DISAPPOINTING. I would not do it again for a long time. I felt like it was dirty, sticky, and just over all bleh - but expensive. Hopefully the Norway experience will be different.
I saw a
trip report where there were photos of food and the photos of sticky toffee pudding dessert at lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern tempted me - so I had to add that and do some rearranging to fit that one in.
For the birthday people (my daughter and husband) I listened to their requests, and have a Cape May Cafe breakfast booked and Le Cellier late lunch. I am one of the people that thinks Le Cellier is way over rated, but last time we ate dinner there it WAS very good. I am not having any high expectations, though.
Our usual at DHS is the Sci Fi Drive in Diner. That's a hit with everybody in my family. The food is OK but the atmosphere is a lot of fun. Those black and white funny science fiction movies have been distracting my kids for about 15 years now and allowing me ME time while I eat. It's a must do each trip.
We like eating outside on the patio at Rose & Crown and I was lucky enough to book a 7:40pm dinner reservation. I hope we wind up outside for Illuminations viewing. Plus I love the beer there - and their stilton cheese salad dressing & the cheese bread rolls. My husband likes the fish and chips and honestly, I am not sure what the kids eat there......not a lot of options that are kid (picky eater) friendly. We shall see.
My youngest is 10 years old - and she actually WANTED Bippity Boppity Boutique. That really surprised me.....I was able to get her an appointment in the castle. I figured I'd better appreciate her wanting to do this now. After this, the next time I get to take a little girl to BBB will probably be when I'm a grandma lol...because I think soon enough Jojo won't want to be done up with fakey make up, colorful hair extensions, and goo put in her hair. For now, she does - and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.
Ohana.....wow - our last experience there was nasty. It was a big bummer disappointment because it has been a staple dining place for us for as long as I can remember. Well....last time we did eat there was 2 years ago and we all agreed NEVER AGAIN. Just horrid service & yucky food. Well, I have heard they've made some changes to the staff and it's getting some raves again. We are giving Ohana another go. They must be doing something right because the best I could get for us was an 855pm dining time. Another we shall see in the works. I hope it's good again because it was a WDW vacation tradition for us for so long.
Another tradition for us 1900 Park Fare. We have the dinner booked with Cinderella and her wicked step sisters. Those sisters are the best. They make the experience what it is. Looking forward to that again.
My older daughter, Lucy, is a big Eeyore fan, Jojo is a Piglet fan, and Zack always liked Tigger - so Crystal Palace has always been on my ADR list.
We love the trip over to Wilderness Lodge. It's a little adventure just getting there - so I booked us Whispering Canyon Cafe. Last time we ate there, Jojo was having attitude and not in the mood to be anywhere except in front of the TV watching Hannah Montana & playing with her Disney Princess Polly Pockets. Well, that dinner turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. We had such a fun waiter - he completely picked up on Miss Jojo's baditude and played right up to her. She was a star and she loved all the attention. The food was pretty good and the atmosphere a lot of fun and laughs.
OK I even am taking one for the team. I booked us a dinner at Tony's Town Square...that place gets horrible reviews.....but I have clients that ask about it and I turn them off to eating there. Well, honestly it's been 3 years or so since we put ourselves thru the Tony's experience, so we're going to have to try it again so that I can give a fair review of the place. Our last dinner there, our waiter must have been low man on the totem pole, because he was the restaurant garbage guy....we would see him take out the trash, change the garbage bags, *cross our fingers he washed his hands* and laugh...."When he came back to take our order, my son even asked him, "Did you wash your hands?" and we all just cracked up....I guess you had to be there but that's part of the family vacation fun....all the silly things you remember and laugh about later. We had fun there, but the food....eh. Get the Rolaids and the Tums. I cannot even guarantee my family will suck it up and go along with this one.....
On MY birthday, I figured a little R&R and spoiling so I booked us a pool cabana at the Grand Floridian. And then later a late lunch at the tea room. We have done "tea" here a few times before and my daughters really really enjoy it. Kind of funny, I wouldn't think they would like it as much as they do, but it's such a nice relaxing break away from the park craziness and the other LOUD restaurants. Sort of like the Plaza Restaurant. That's a simple one, too - and one of their favorites.
My favorite vacation drink is a pina colada with a shot of Kahlua drizzled through it. I can taste it now.....
On our last morning, I booked the breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. I figure we'll be out monorail shopping and picking up those last minute souvenirs - so a stop over at the Polynesian fits with that plan.
I am getting really excited...but almost the kind of excitement that sends me into neurotic feelings of "Something might go wrong to spoil this trip". (I am crazy that way LOL) The countdown is on and as of today I have five days left of neurosis....but so far *knock on wood* so good. Looks like it's all systems go.
I have a lot of plans I hope we can fit in - movies on the beach at both the Yacht Club and the Grand Floridian, I wanted to take a boat over to the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds and just check it all out and see what that area is like, I'd love it if we made it to Downtown Disney for shopping, a trip up in the hot air balloon, and ice cream, the girls want to do lots of pin trading & expand their immense collection, and then we have to find time for swimming breaks and just relaxing and people watching from our balcony.
Renting a pontoon boat is always fun in the afternoons, too....
My daughters always like to do the "Pick a Pearl" in Japan in EPCOT - the uglier the oyster, the prettier the pearl is what we learned. Jojo is a champion pearl picker - she always gets a jumbo or twins. There are sterling silver settings for a decent price and the jewelry makes a nice lasting souvenir.
This will be a strange trip in a way as my son won't be coming with. He is almost 20 and pretty much outgrown family vacations. (it's a mutual thing - we've outgrown him, too LOL) His idea of a family vacation is sleeping til 2 pm and then being on his cell phone with friends. So...this is it. Just the four of us this time around. Somebody is going to lose their thrill ride buddy.
Kind of a new step in the family vacation situation - but at least the four of us are all Disney fans and really thrilled about taking this vacation and spending time together. I have so many memories of past family trips when the kids were young & want to repeat everything - but it gets harder and harder as the kids get older and the experiences pile up. I guess we'll have to make new memories - just the four of us. That will be easy, though - we are going to be on the move cramming in all the fun we can handle for 10 days straight.
Happy travels!
Channing
Free dining is back for fall and there are still discounts for summer - Make some family memories!
To enter you must register for MagicChatLive (it's fast and free) and start your own thread in this contest forum about your best or worst dining experience at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. *Have fun* 
Voting will start on August 1, 2010. On August 15th, 2010 voting will close and a winner will be announced on August 16th. 
