Sept 15th - 29th Too Much Food !

[may]

Both my dad and my husband's dad have recently reached / are about to reach 65 so they, alongside DH , myself and DD7, will form the Two Grandad's Official Retirement Tour:grin:

We will be staying at Pop Century with free dining. Having nearly killed DH and DD with my commando antics on our last trip I am trying to allow everyone a few later starts :blush: I am also trying to allow for some of the other adults wanting to be active in the evenings after the point where DD and if I'm honest myself will have collapsed:zzz: We have chosen not do MNSSHP having done it last time.

We aren't really drawn to doing the signature restaurants, we tend to regard the restaurants as part of the entertainment, mainly preferring those that offer engaging theming of some sort, over fine dining. We don't intend to repeat CRT having done it last time. We will be offsite for 3 or 4 days because of Royal Pacific Resort / Universal ( first time here), Seaworld and Discovery Cove. DD likes the WDW childcare facilities, as an only child she enjoys the guaranteed contact with other kids so I'm reconciled to wasting two of her TS credits when she goes there.

I seem to have an awful lot of dining credits to use up in a relatively short space of time :erm: I am taking the viewpoint that it is better to have the ADRs and ultimately not use them, than not have them and then not be able to get them. Rumour seems to be that free dining will become generally available to the US market for booking April 12th ? So ADRs may be hard to get.

As choices for children look quite limited in many TS restaurants and very limited in most CS DD and I will probably share much of the time. Also in some restaurants , particularly where we have two TS in one day, we are attending more for the experience / air conditioning than the food and will perhaps order just the entree or as Dd would prefer just the appetisers and dessert :D

All thoughts gratefully received :-)


Saturday 15th – Arrive, explore POP, get refillable mugs, buy some doughnuts etc for in room breakfast with snack credits, swim, 1 CS Dinner (as an alternative book for 1 TS dinner Sci Fi , almost certainly won’t use, do for dinner on 26th ) Collapse !

Sunday 16th – Breakfast in room or using snack option Rope Drop Magic Kingdom for Little Ones Early Magic Hour CS lunch at Columbia Harbour House 1 CS Dinner ( as an alternative book for 1TS dinner Marrakesh in EPCOT, probably won’t use, if not do for lunch on 27th)

Monday 17th – Light Breakfast included ? Discovery Cove Lunch included. ( Taxi there around 7.30 am. Taxi back around 4.30 pm) 1 TS Dinner Ohana around 5.30 pm? Spectro will be on at 8, followed by Wishes at 9. I doubt we will have the energy for it but if we did it saves time at a later stage

Zzzz Tuesday 18th – Lie in 1 CS Breakfast CHOOSING SPACE Blizzard Beach? Typhoon Lagoon? Shopping? CS Lunch Then MGM 1 TS Dinner Hollywood and Vine with Fantasmic Dinner Package

Zzzz Wednesday 19th – Lie in Breakfast in room or using snack option 1 TS Lunch Coral Reef EPCOT Future World using afternoon/evening plan 1 TS Dinner Teppanyaki

Thursday 20th Breakfast in room or using snack option AK for rope drop 1 CS Lunch Then bus to AKL , explore. DD to Simba’s childcare ? 1 TS Dinner Boma

Zzzz Friday 21st –Lie in CS breakfast CHOOSING SPACE Blizzard Beach? Typhoon Lagoon? Shopping? This is for others. DD and I to DTD for Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique 1CS Lunch Then get taxi to EPCOT 1 TS Dinner Akershus EPCOT is open to midnight tonight so others may decide to stay, although it may be very crowded or go to explore the Boardwalk / Jellyrolls etc


Saturday 22nd Breakfast in room or using snack option Taxi to Royal Pacific Resort, room won't be available yet but can get FOTL passes for Universal. Lunch in Universal. Dinner Universal City Walk maybe Bubba Gump ?

Sunday 23 rd Breakfast at Universal . Lunch at Universal. Taxi back to Disney. 1 TS Dinner Whispering Canyon . MK is open late tonight in case anyone wants to stay out.

Monday 24th Breakfast in room or using snack option Sea World Lunch at Seaworld 1 TS Dinner Crystal Palace SPECTRO

zzzz Tuesday 25th Lie in 1 CS Breakfast CHOOSING SPACE Blizzard Beach? Typhoon Lagoon? Shopping? TGM gives MK first green followed by AK/MGM . keep out of EPCOT CS Lunch Explore Boardwalk ? 1 TS Dinner at Spoodles DD to Sandcastle Club ?

Wednesday 26th Breakfast in room or using snack option Rope Drop MGM 1 TS Lunch 50s Prime Time 1 TS Dinner Sci Fi

Zzzz Thursday 27th Lie in Breakfast in room or using snack option CHOOSING SPACE Blizzard Beach? Typhoon Lagoon? Shopping? 1 TS Lunch Marrakesh 1 TS Dinner Le Cellier EPCOT For Illuminations ?

Zzzz Friday 28 th Lie in CS breakfast CHOOSING SPACE Blizzard Beach? Typhoon Lagoon? Shopping? EPCOT would be ok until about 3 if we wanted to snack around the world on snack credits at the first day of the food and wine festival. CS Lunch 1 TS Dinner Chef Mickeys

Saturday 29 th Lie in CS breakfast CS Lunch

[Bob_and_Dawn]

You certainly have it planned to the last detail.

Refillable mugs are certainly a good idea and have saved loads of cash in the past.

Bob

[may]

You certainly have it planned to the last detail.

Refillable mugs are certainly a good idea and have saved loads of cash in the past.

Bob

In a way Bob that's sort of what I'm scared of :confused2 I've never done the dining plan before and I'm wondering if it's really a holiday if I have to plan when to be spontaneous :omg:

I'm going with the attitude that the plan hasn't cost us anything and it's a great opportunity to visit some favourites and some restaurants we havent done yet :grin:

if we feel like using an ADR we will and if not I'll defend my liberty to cancel it within any required time frame, lie in bed, watch Disney TV and munch chips ( on DH's side of course) ;)

[Cinders Mum]

May

Don't stress over it all........ I know the dining plan can sometimes make you feel so restricted.

I have taken the restaurants we want to go to, made ADR's for them, if we are at another park, we can easily make our way to our chosen location in plenty of time, or if we are just not hungry I will cancel the ADR.... it is no loss to me, and I will manage to use it elsewhere, perhaps not my first choice location, but I am sure I can find a TS location somewhere we would be happy with.

At the end of the day it is a holiday, and it is only food .... okay free food, but it is a part not the whole of the trip .... and the refillable mugs really are a godsend.

your choices look great by the way!!

Enjoy

[Birtie]

DDP does bring a whole new element to the planning. Depending on how we find it this year will decide whether we do again in the future.:mickey2:

[angie-noo]

may, you made me laugh about the commando antics, i was like this the first year, i was like a woman possessed:erm: i was so scared of missing something. i have made adrs for the free dining, its nice to no you can eat at some of the places you wouldnt normally bother with but like you said if you dont use them you havent lost anything. i think its great that you are taking the g dads with you, my kids loved having theres with them last year, they are so dissapointed that he cannot make it this year. i think your planning is great, i will plan , it will last 2 days and then it will go to pot:confused2 oh well never mind:blush: :wavey:

[pinkabell_87]

the discovery cove breakfast, isnt very big, its just a few pastries and fruit juices! we found that it wasnt enough for us, as we used alot of energy swimming! and we couldnt eat again till dinner! HTH

[glorfy]

Just my opinion - but Discovery Cove is a lovely day - the Lunch is lovely as well - it is relaxing and tiring at the same time. I wouldn't want to be doing too much afterwards, and certainly not going to Ohana's. Have a light meal in the evening and see if you feel up to Spectromagic and wishes. We were just happy that we had a brilliant day and just relaxed in the glow!

Also saves you a TS to do a 2 TS meal!

[may]

Thx for all the input guys :-)

I think I've calmed down now Val :-) for a moment I felt like my entire holiday was going to be comprised of one ADR after another with no park time in between! Ironic really when you think how desperate I was fror the free DDP to be made available and now I'm whinging!!

Birtie I think I'll always be inclined towards the DDP when it's free because it's no financial loss if we choose to alter our plans and end up with credits unused. However when there is a charge for the plan I think I'd have to consider it more carefully, it seems to involve a lot more eating than my family would ordinarily choose to expend time or money on.

Angie - Noo I am so much looking forward to my family having some Disney time with the 'grandads'. They are both much fitter than I am and will live to be at least 150 :-) but I think memories made on this trip may be very precious in the years ahead. I enjoy planning , it gives me some of the pleasure of the holiday early and I do think the visit goes more smoothly because of it. I agree that you need to abandon the plan when it doesnt suit though. I had to do that on the last visit, partly because the pace was just too much for DD6 who was in danger of exhaustion and partly because hurricane Wilma got in the way ! I was quite willing to keep on trucking through that commando style but Disney wouldn't play " What do you mean you've shut the parks. I'm sure it's only a SMALL hurricane ."

Pinkabell thx for the heads up about the DC breakfast , we only bothered with the juice last time and I wasn't really sure what else was available. We'll have something before arriving or is it possible to buy a snack in the course of the morning ?

Glorfy thanks for the DC input. I remember from our last visit that we didn't feel like doing much after wards but I'm going to keep the Ohana booking and see how it goes. I think DD will really enjoy the games after a relatively quiet day and I'm hoping that a lapu lapu will kep my feeling of tropical relaxation going :-) I think we will probably skip Wishes and Spectro that night though in favour of Monday 24th after Seaworld.

[Allisonjane]

May
We fly out on the 15th September for 2 weeks aswell and we are also staying at the POP century with free dining.
I have been stressed for the last couple of weeks trying to plan my itinerary and make my ADR's, I have called WDW Dining 3 times now because i keep changing my mind, luckily i have been able to get everything i wanted. My fiance says he's going to take my list off me and hide it so i cant change it again.
Hope you have a great time
Allison

[may]

May
We fly out on the 15th September for 2 weeks aswell and we are also staying at the POP century with free dining.
I have been stressed for the last couple of weeks trying to plan my itinerary and make my ADR's, I have called WDW Dining 3 times now because i keep changing my mind, luckily i have been able to get everything i wanted. My fiance says he's going to take my list off me and hide it so i cant change it again.
Hope you have a great time
Allison

Hi Allisonjane,
Welcome to the DIBB. It's exciting to hear from someone who will be there at the same time as us. So far I havent altered my ADR s but I think they will need some tweaking eventually. I was surprised to get everything I asked for the first time but suspect I may not be so lucky now free dining is opening up to the US visitors again. Will it be just you and your fiance ? Where are you planning to eat ?
Have Fun,
Linda

[Allisonjane]

Yes im glad i got mine sorted before it was offered in the US.
We have breakfast reservations at:
Crystal Palace, Donalds Breakfastosaurus, Chef Mickeys, Cape May Cafe and Boma
And dinner at:
Concourse Steakhouse, Planet Hollywood, Coral Reef, Kona Cafe, Sci Fi Dine-in, Spoodles, Prime Time Cafe, Rose and Crown, Wolfgang Pucks Cafe, Crystal Palace and Maya Grill.
I know its naughty but i have made 16 ADR's and we only need 14, so i will need to cancel a couple when we are there but i thought it would be good to have back ups in case we go off schedule.

There are 7 of us going, me, fiance, my son and daughter (from first marriage) and our little girl who will be 11 months, also my mum and dad who are late 60's and asked for an itinerary with lots of rest days - not sure they will get that lol.
We are getting married at Wilderness Lodge while we are there, so im getting really excited.