The Bare Necessities Summer 2019

[collybird]

Originally Posted by Goldia

But of course you're not booking ADRs this year as it's QSDP for you.

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[Cazzius]

Originally Posted by Goldia

I had to start this at new year because the ADR day was fast approaching, even though I'm not finished on last year's report. I will do a proper ADR update, probably at the weekend, I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear it didn't go smoothly, MDE is very glitchy like I said no one saw that coming

I have dropped one of the Epcot restaurants, so that I can squeeze in GG breakfast! But 2 out the 3 you have mentioned are in. Answers on a postcard...all will be revealed.

I haven't seen the Christopher Robin movie yet and we really should rectify that as I bet it's great fun.

I think you are right about not being in each others pockets 24-7. When it's just the 4 of us we like to have our own space, which is hard when you're all sharing 1 hotel room. So often at the pool we ignore each other, in the nicest possible way we do all get sun beds together. But often Dave will go off to the Jacuzzi, I will read, the kids will mess about in the pool, but it just gives us all a breather from being on top of each other all day and night. I'm sure we don't have arguments, as long as everyone does what I want when I want then we'll be fine

Oh god I loved that Marie Kondo series on Netflix. I already do the clothes thing anyway, but Kate and me watched the whole show in one weekend! We've done books, then my mum and sister in law were over at the weekend and I showed them the pile of books we were going to take to a charity shop and they took most of them! Ha ha, I'm not sure that's the spirit of it really, palming off our stuff on family members.

I have a memory that when my mum and dad went on holiday with one of my brothers and his family they had walkie talkies. I've got a feeling that as they had 2 cars they used them then, but I think that my mum may have turned the volume down 'accidentally' and so they didn't hear my dad's instructions, or something like that and he got a bit cross that they didn't do what he said. Hmm, now would having walkie talkies lead to a harmoniuos holiday experience or would it lead to

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Oooh, now want to know which got the chop! I think maybe Chefs De France.

The Christopher Robin film is really good, though I may have got a lump in my throat at points!

Splitting up at pool time sounds like the perfect solution, especially as pool time = cocktail time for the adults good plan!

It's really sad but now all my clothes are Marie Kondo folded, I'm quite excited about how easily they'll just slot into the packing cubes too. Chris is off to Vegas with some friends next week and I mentioned this to him, and he told me he isn't taking packing cubes as the others will laugh at him - more fool him as he is the worst packer and I thought taking a cube out the suitcase, popping it in the drawer and popping in back in the suitcase would be the best thing for him, clearly looking cool is more important

I don't know, if your unwanted items spark joy in your family members then I am sure it is fine!

Ah, maybe forget the walkie talkies then, don't want to stir up any bad memories! Haha

[Rescuer]

Mde 😠. It was temperamental when I did mine as well.

I wonder which one you dropped. Not chefs de France it was awesome at Christmas.

[Goldia]

Originally Posted by collybird

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Of course you've got a couple of plans for ADRs! I'm afraid you won't be going to Beaches and Cream though as I just read today that it's closing for a long refurb from early August to December I'm sure you will feel my pain here. How could they?

Originally Posted by Cazzius

Oooh, now want to know which got the chop! I think maybe Chefs De France.

The Christopher Robin film is really good, though I may have got a lump in my throat at points!

Splitting up at pool time sounds like the perfect solution, especially as pool time = cocktail time for the adults good plan!

It's really sad but now all my clothes are Marie Kondo folded, I'm quite excited about how easily they'll just slot into the packing cubes too. Chris is off to Vegas with some friends next week and I mentioned this to him, and he told me he isn't taking packing cubes as the others will laugh at him - more fool him as he is the worst packer and I thought taking a cube out the suitcase, popping it in the drawer and popping in back in the suitcase would be the best thing for him, clearly looking cool is more important

I don't know, if your unwanted items spark joy in your family members then I am sure it is fine!

Ah, maybe forget the walkie talkies then, don't want to stir up any bad memories! Haha

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I loved how Marie doesn't force anyone to give stuff away.. I quite like the idea that you can have memories without having to keep everything. We loved the Roald Dahl books and both kids read them loads, but they won't be read again and we don't need to hang onto them. Lots of the really lovely books my sister in law took for her boys who are 6 and 3 so that's nice to think they will get pleasure out of them.

I have changed Kate's drawers so the clothes are all folded the Kondo way, I offered to Max's and he just shrugged so I did it anyway. I'm not sure his will stay perfect as he just shoves his clothes in any way he wants. I also offered Dave, but he wasn't interested at all. I love vertical storing in drawers so that I can see all my stuff! It's a miracle! Why on earth wouldn't he want it like that?

When Dave went away for a stag do last year he couldn't fit all his stuff in the hand luggage bag so I helped him, by packing it all for him. The kids joked that he wouldn't be able to get it all back in on the way home but he managed to stuff it in. He didn't want the packing cubes either for some reason.

Originally Posted by Rescuer

Mde 😠. It was temperamental when I did mine as well.

I wonder which one you dropped. Not chefs de France it was awesome at Christmas.

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Do not fear this is firmly on the list! I'm wondering though if we will be able to order from the set menu on the DDP. Do you know if it's possible? I can't remember now if you had it when you were paying OOP or with credits but I seem to remember you having starters... not that it's a deal breaker to not have starters but the soup looks so yummy and it was my favourite part of the BOG dinner last summer so I was hoping to have the French onion or the bisque.

[Rescuer]

Originally Posted by Goldia

Of course you've got a couple of plans for ADRs! I'm afraid you won't be going to Beaches and Cream though as I just read today that it's closing for a long refurb from early August to December I'm sure you will feel my pain here. How could they?



I loved how Marie doesn't force anyone to give stuff away.. I quite like the idea that you can have memories without having to keep everything. We loved the Roald Dahl books and both kids read them loads, but they won't be read again and we don't need to hang onto them. Lots of the really lovely books my sister in law took for her boys who are 6 and 3 so that's nice to think they will get pleasure out of them.

I have changed Kate's drawers so the clothes are all folded the Kondo way, I offered to Max's and he just shrugged so I did it anyway. I'm not sure his will stay perfect as he just shoves his clothes in any way he wants. I also offered Dave, but he wasn't interested at all. I love vertical storing in drawers so that I can see all my stuff! It's a miracle! Why on earth wouldn't he want it like that?

When Dave went away for a stag do last year he couldn't fit all his stuff in the hand luggage bag so I helped him, by packing it all for him. The kids joked that he wouldn't be able to get it all back in on the way home but he managed to stuff it in. He didn't want the packing cubes either for some reason.



Do not fear this is firmly on the list! I'm wondering though if we will be able to order from the set menu on the DDP. Do you know if it's possible? I can't remember now if you had it when you were paying OOP or with credits but I seem to remember you having starters... not that it's a deal breaker to not have starters but the soup looks so yummy and it was my favourite part of the BOG dinner last summer so I was hoping to have the French onion or the bisque.

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A few years ago we ate at Chefs de France and had the 3 course set menu and used ddp. Less choice of main courses. Not read that things have changed.

[caitlinsmummy]

I read about Beaches and Cream closing for a refurb I wondered if it would affect your plans 😔 xx

[Goldia]

Originally Posted by Rescuer

A few years ago we ate at Chefs de France and had the 3 course set menu and used ddp. Less choice of main courses. Not read that things have changed.

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Ok thanks for letting me know.

Originally Posted by caitlinsmummy

I read about Beaches and Cream closing for a refurb I wondered if it would affect your plans 😔 xx

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Argh! I discovered it yesterday evening from a DFB email. Some changes of plan needed!

[Goldia]

Actual ADRs and Outline plans

I feel like we need a re-cap of what the potentials were so that we can see what made the cut at 180 days and what has already fallen by the wayside.

In the must do category we had:

1. Cinderella’s Royal Table requested by Mum. We’ve done this before (in 2016) and it is fun to meet all the Princesses.

2. Hoop Dee Doo we have never done it, so this is a new restaurant for all of us.

3. Storybook Dining Snow White meal at Wilderness Lodge this is the brand new dining experience that opened recently so again would be new for all of us.

All these have been booked but not without a little drama ! Of course it wouldn’t be WDW planning without getting grumpy at MDE .

I couldn’t find any slots for CRT at all and this made me worry initially . I also couldn’t find out how to secure the Hoop Dee Doo booking by using credits rather than paying.

So, I phoned them up and spoke to a really friendly guy called Josh. I said I wanted to use credits for HDD and he said this was fine and I asked if we could get category 1 seating and he said so he booked this up for the 8.30pm showing. I’m sure I read on the Dibb somewhere that you weren’t allowed to use credits for the category 1 seating so we will see what we end up with.

I also asked him about CRT but he couldn’t find availability either. So I said to him not to worry and he wished me a magical day.

Lots of looking later and I ended up booking a 2.45pm reservation on the right day as I had still had no luck finding a dinner slot for ANY day ! I figured at the very least having it was better than not having it and I could probably modify it to a later slot. I have in fact now done this twice since booking the original slot, first modified to 4.25pm and then to 7pm which is perfect.

The Snow White meal was easy to book no problems there.

In the undecided category were:

1. Tusker House vs Crystal Palace both character buffets, both yummy food, both we’ve done before more than once! In the end it was all down to Piglet (I mean Kate) and we’ve got Crystal Palace and no Tusker, which I’m alright about as the QS and snacks at AK are brilliant.

2. Mama Melrose vs Tony’s Town Square both Italian, both of them have the set menu and both have the option of a bonus ticket either for Fantasmic or for the parade in Magic Kingdom. I went for Tony’s in the end for our first day at MK. I’ve booked a 1pm lunch and hope that we will actually manage to stay and see the parade before heading back to the resort.

3. World Showcase – Teppan Edo vs Biergarten vs Chefs de France

Well, in the end I scrapped Teppan Edo as we’ve eaten there before and while I really like this restaurant it’ll be fun to try out the two new to all of us restaurants. Both Biergarten and Chefs de France made the cut. Probably Biergarten is the restaurant most likely to be culled in the future if I change my mind or fancy something else (it’s been booked previous years and cancelled).

Of course these 3 restaurants were also competing with Garden Grill at Epcot. I decided to plump for breakfast here. It is our one and only breakfast reservation and will be on day 2. I’m excited to try out the breakfast having done dinner a couple of times, I hope it’s as good.

4. Resorts.. There was a lot of debate in my head about these. It was great having all your feedback. I have in fact gone for Narcoossee’s. I had thought about GF Café but figured having a couple of 2 TS meals also means we get some days off from reservations and this freedom will also be really nice rather than being tied to specific times and places. Plus of course, the food here looks divine.

I wanted to book up the Cali Grill Brunch but they don’t have any brunch slots open yet for the day I want to go there. So I currently have a 7.35pm dinner slot. I am now wondering whether to try out dinner instead? We haven’t eaten dinner here so this would also be new for us and we could watch HEA… should I try and change it to brunch or leave it as it is?

And now to the Beaches and Cream debacle . I had planned on this being a non credit meal and just paying for the kitchen sink. I knew what day I wanted and was patiently waiting for the 180+10 roll around then yesterday I read that B&C are closing for a refurb in early August until December . Oh dear. I have scrambled and scoured all the days it's open while we are there. In the end I made a reservation which I don’t really want as it was the only 1 I could get. We have a few days to play with at the start of the trip but the only slot I could find was a 4pm booking on the day of Hoop Dee Doo. Not great and I do want to change it. Fingers crossed I can modify the booking to a better time slot. But I'm not going to sweat it now.

I’ll summarise below what our current plans are as all that is fairly hard to follow and keep track of.

Tuesday 30th July – Flight, arrive at POFQ – no meals planned.
Wednesday 31st July – MK, lunch at Tony’s Town Square and then back to the resort. Possibly DS in the evening.
Thursday 1st August – EMH at Epcot, breakfast at Garden Grill (this day is my preferred slot for the kitchen sink). Possibly DS in the evening.
Friday 2nd August – EMH at MK, lunch at Crystal Palace. Back to resort and night swim.
Saturday 3rd August – Discovery Cove, no meals planned. Possible visit to AK in the evening. I will book up FP for here just in case.
Sunday 4th August – EMH at HS. Resort for the afternoon. MK and dinner at CRT in the evening.
Monday 5th August – EMH at AK (this will be our last EMH). Resort for the afternoon, currently 4pm B&C (not really wanted) and then Hoop Dee Doo 8.30pm show.
Tuesday 6th August – Typhoon Lagoon and then AK in the evening, no meals planned.
Wednesday 7th August – HS in the morning, resort in the afternoon and then dinner at Narcoossee’s.
Thursday 8th August – Blizzard Beach, Epcot in the evening with dinner at Biergarten.
Friday 9th August – lazy morning and afternoon, possibly DS at some point, HS in the evening. I had wanted the Kitchen Sink here before heading to HS for the evening.
Saturday 10th August – AK in the morning, resort in the afternoon and Storybook Dining in the evening.
Sunday 11th August – MK in the morning, resort in the afternoon and California Grill dinner. This is the day I had planned on doing the brunch so that is a possible change.
Monday 12th August – lazy morning and afternoon, Epcot in the evening with dinner at Chefs de France.
Tuesday 13th August – check out of POFQ and currently checking in no-where as I haven’t booked it yet But likely to be RPR for the express passes. We have 3 day tickets for universal and islands of adventure. So, I plan on doing universal today, then IOA on Wednesday and mopping up best bits on Thursday before the flight home.

So, that’s how it’s looking at the moment. I imagine there will be changes between now and then! It’s exciting to think that we are under 6 months away.

Thanks for all your help, I hope you all approve of the plans

[Rescuer]

Looks great.
What about doing the Mickey kitchen sink at MK instead of beaches and cream?
I thought I read that the window at beaches and cream would still be open or if you fancy a wander round those resorts what about ample hills?
I’m not a fan of beaches and cream, it’s nice but overrated imo.
Have you used the touring plans reservation finder before? It found us a bog at Christmas for the perfect time so you never know.

[MrsSilverStar]

The plans look great Abby. Fingers crossed for your Beaches and Cream reservation, it’s so annoying when you have your mind set on something and then it all changes!

I’m struggling myself because I hadn’t realised Storybook dining is only available for dinner and it just doesn’t fit in our plans now

How exciting that you’ve got less than six months, I’m sure it’ll zip by.