[MyRapunzal]

Okay, so hope everyone had a nice weekend! Me and Rob took Liam to the Vanderbilt Estate on Saturday because it was just gorgeous out! (The Vanderbilt Estate in NY is one of a few on the East coast… built by Cornelious Vanderbilt and his family—I think I remember once reading that he was the 10th richest person in HISTORY). In any case here are a couple pictures (yes I do carry my camera everywhere I go)!
I love the pictures where Liam is looking out at the landscape. Althought the Italian Gardens weren't blooming yet here so its just Ghost Whisperer looking! lol!
You can't tell but I am wearing a Daisy Duck polo! This is not the best shot of me but we can consider it a "before" shot since I am working on my wieght!
I told Rob that these two older men were him and his best friend Steve in 40 years. They were so cute... just looking at the view and hanging out!)


In any case, I also made a very fun and partly nerdy Disney purchase! A Mickey USB Flash drive. My dad got me a nice new one for Christmas but it connected to my keychain by an eyelet which snapped and left me nothing but the cap! In any case because I am a visual learner instead of just describing I will add some pics with descriptions!


As you can see the Flash drive itself is one of Mickey’s ears and the center actually comes with a little removable mirror that you can put a picture in! I will probably put an actual key ring in there and keep the “M” charm for something else to make it more durable.

So back to my actual Pre-trippie-ness! I have a few updates!

I canceled my PP Club subscription because next month when the November calendar is released I am going to sign up for TGM. I love PP Club but I already have the Touring Plans subscription because I signed up when we were originally planning a trip for this week to see FGF. I figured that canceling the subscription for PP Club for 4 months pays for TGM. Plus I went through all the worksheets and ebooks and copied and printed what I needed last month so I am pretty up to date. I will re-subscribe closer to the trip if I feel the itch! LoL! In any case, on TGM I loved the least crowded parks of the day charts- plus I love the layout of his calendars and reminders (like I can set a reminder for myself to email me the day before I have to call for the Photopass Photog session and what not).

I am also looking at my Itinerary and thinking of switching some things around. By May I want to purchase my airfare AND I want to have my ADRs ready to have the TA call exactly 180 days out! That being said…

I think I am going to cross the tour off my list and wait it out on the Beluga Encounter I wanted to do at Mystic, CT—If you remember I was thinking of doing that with my money instead of the Segway Tour. I was going to call the Aquarium soon to set it up for the summer but I think it’d be better to have a buffer in the bank. We can always go in the fall. It’s actually cheaper in Sept/October, so maybe I will wait until Labor Day weekend, ya know? As far as Fall is concerned-- We have a wedding to go to in Virginia Beach for my childhood best friend Columbus Day weekend so I am expecting to have to fly down south late summer for the shower. I know the wedding will put me back some as well and with the final payment due early Fall as well- I just don’t want to spend my pennies before I have them, ya know? We can always go to Mystic next Spring OR try and get the Segway Tour at the last minute. Its not like Disney World or Mystic are going anywhere if we don’t do it this year! What do you think?

And as for ADRs- I have a few questions for everyone :
WHAT IS THE BEST RESTAURANT YOU HAVE EVER EATEN AT IN ANY OF THE 4 DISNEY PARKS?
WHAT IS THE BEST ON PROPERTY RESTAURANT YOU HAVE EATEN AT THAT IS NOT LOCATED IN A PARK?
BEST CHARACTER DINING (ANYWHERE)?
AND WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR ME AND ROB, JUST FROM READING MY PTR AND KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT ME?

So, basically, we have the following possible ADRs in some set up or another…
Weds- Dinner @Hollywood Brown Derby with FDP
Thurs- Breakfast @OHana/ Dinner @Le Cellier
Friday- Dinner @Les Chefs de France
Saturday- Dinner @1900 Park Fare

I def want the last night to be 1900 Park Fare so that we can do the photog at the last minute possible and get our photopass pics from the whole trip on there!

If we can fly in Tuesday I am going to really push it with school and like try and get to WDW in a timely enough manor to do something with our night… like maybe have an 8 or 9pm ADR? And I am possibly thinking of doing a Sunday lunch before we leave. I can’t decide. Either way I think I will be squeezing in an extra meal. I just don’t know what I want. Plus, I wasn’t quite as impressed as Rob with Le Cellier… and since we have gone to like 7 of the 11 World Showcase countries for dinner before, US doesn’t even have a Table Service restaurant and all… I would have rather hit one of the 3 countries we haven’t had dinner at yet, actually just Germany or Italy- because we are going to France already.


Also, I have a few more time-of-year questions for you guys .
Anyone else going for Thanksgiving? Thinking about an Illuminations or Wishes Cruise?
Also, what about the whole Black Friday shopping thing? Does it apply to Downtown Disney? ??

Oh and as a final note, I have gotten over my Spring-Trip-That-Never-Was Blues. Imagine finding out your boyfriend lost his job less than a week before leaving for vacation? That’s where we would be. If you recall after we returned our last trip Rob found out he had 60 days to find a new home so it spoils a lot of magic and I know that first hand! Plus, if we had went this week we certainly would have been on a tiny budget and that’s not much fun. I like Disney during the Holidays—a lot! I got to see the holiday stuff and extend my own Holiday spirit when we went in January and I think it’s a great way to kick off the season. Especially since Rob never gets quite as into Christmas as I do. Flower Garden Festival and Spring weather in Florida will wait for me for another time and I am finally just fine with that!

Next Up
:::::More Pre-Trip Purchases...at this rate I will be broke by Summer!:::::