Friends, Food, Fun And FABs: A Disney Adventure PTR About This Page:

[lissybri]

I love that you will both be contributing to the TR. That's going to be so much fun.

[NanaTink]

Originally Posted by lissybri

Great start. My DH also works for the Department of Justice. I've never been to the F&W Festival and want to go so badlly. I can't wait to here about your trip.

NDIC or USAO doing what?

I'm in the NSD at Main Justice in DC

[NanaTink]

So, the Psychic Psysters began to trade emails and make plans, and discuss options….and make plans,….til all was laid out. It was decided that since my ADR date came first, I would make the ADRs for the group. (at this time, Gin7274 and Baxter weren’t going to be there until the 19th, then she sorta added a day to the front end of her trip…..) So discussions went back and forth. When Sulley and I were at WDW in April, our last day there was May 1st, the day the party tickets for MNSSHP and MVMCP went on sale. The plan was to go down and get four tickets for the 22nd of October for SouthernBelle, Grumpy and us. At this point in time, Gin7274 and Baxter hadn’t joined up with us. So down I trotted and soon had four tickets for MNSSHP on the 22nd and 2 tickets for MVMCP for Sulley and I on 4 December.

Everyone was in agreement, we wanted a Le Cellier dinner, so it was decided that on the 20th of July (my 90 days date) I would call for an early dinner at Le Cellier for the day of the party. If I couldn’t get that, Tony’s or LLT were our backup goal. And I was to try for at least an Le Cellier dinner or lunch once while the whole group was together. Sulley and I invited the group over for drinks in the villa followed by dinner at the Turf Club on the 20th, and we decided that the 21st would be a grazing around in the world kind of day. Starting with Mexico and Margaritas! It has been suggested we end in France with Grey Goose Lemonade, but then that leaves out the UK and stout and Canada and Cheddar Cheese soup….

Anyway we were set, and we were only waiting for that magic day to come. I decided I wanted to be brave and try the online booking system and see if that worked, but was ready to abandon ship if it did not. There had been issues with DVC ressies before with the website not able to pull them up so I was a little worried. I took the day off of work.

The 20th dawned and I logged on……

At first I couldn’t figure out how to book anything, but I soon figured it out. It still has issues, imho, but I was soon able to pull up my SSR ressie and began to work. First up, the coveted 22 October Le Cellier…….SCORE!!!! I got a great early booking and we were on our way.
By the end of my time online I had booked (**marks new ones for us):

18 Oct…Fultons Crab House 6PM, Sulley and NanaTink
19 Oct…Hoop Dee Doo Revue 7:15 seating 1 S & NT **
20 Oct…Turf Club…6:45, following drinks in the villa, all six of us
21 Oct…eating around the World, no ADR needed!
22 Oct…Le Cellier…4:50 PM for all six
23 Oct…Coral Reef, 6:30PM, S & NT (it’s been a long time since we’ve eaten here)
24 Oct…Restaurant Marrakesh 6:30PM S & NT (we’ve only eaten lunch here before)
25 Oct…Yachtsman Steakhouse, 6:10PM S & NT **
26 Oct…Liberty Tree Tavern 6:05PM, S & NF (ony lunch before)
27 Oct…Le Cellier, 5:15 S & NT ( we ‘did it again’! )
(we wanted a restaurant in Epcot because there was a possible PP meet somewhere in Epcot being planned for that evening, and Owner’s Locker has a Wine meet at 7 in France)

That was the end of my ten day window and I had to stop, even though I had more ADRs to make! What’s a planner to do? Call each day!
On the 20th I logged on and the online system wouldn’t let you book further than 90 days…no + 10 was showing up. In fact it wasn’t even showing 90 days out. So I called and got a CM who was not going to let me make an ADR. I could only have ten ADRs from my check-in date. Period. I explained I knew that and that this was now the next day and I could now make another ADR because it was 90 + 10 again. She argued and argued with me until suddenly the light went on somewhere and she got it. Whew!!!
So for the next four days I called or got online and made the rest of the ADRs.

28 Oct…Whispering Canyon Café, 6:10PM, S& NT **
29 Oct…Kouzzina’s 6:05PM S& NT **
30 Oct…Narcoossee’s 6:55PM S& NT ( a fave..the plan is to watch Wishes from the beach as this is our last night in WDW )
31 Oct…Grand Floridian Café 8:15AM for breakfast. Though I am toying with the idea of switching it to Cape May instead since I keep hearing such wonderful things about it….

NEXT UP: A surprise email and a question for SouthernBelle and I…

[Hugmonster]

Sounds like you are going to have so much fun.

[disney_duke]

Lots of great choices!

[SouthernBelle]

Oh what a wonderful start to this fabulous trip!!! I am waiting patiently for the next chapter of this wonderful trip report

Oh wait... I forgot I have to add the surprise, so come back later and the surprise will be up and ready for you to see!!! So Hurry back...hurry back...

[ArielsMomto2]

Love the start of this TR. Looking forward to more. Can't wait to hear the surprise. Congrats on getting all the ADRs.

[SouthernBelle]

Southernbelle:
Since my arrival date to Shades of Green was not until 20 Oct and the only ADR that Grumpy and I wanted to make was our new tradition of breakfast at Kona Café the morning we leave to go back home. Stephanie had done a fine job on making the other ADR’s for the group and we decided that we would only make the one at Kona. So I had to wait until 27 August to make my reservation for 25 October for breakfast.

So at lunch one day in Grumpy’s office I called Disney Dining and we were booked for 8:30 breakfast at Kona Café, Lillikoi juice and Tonga Toast here I come I work in a very secure building, I cannot even get a radio station in my office, much less a cell phone signal!

On Monday August 3rd, I got and e-mail at work from PoohMaine(Susan) telling me she had just booked the Boardwalk for her 25th Anniversary. I asked her the dates of her trip and she told me 17 – 24 October. We discovered that we would be there the same time!! Finally at last Susan and I get to meet!!! I quickly e-mailed NanaTink and Gin7274 and told them that Susan would also be there. We all decided that we will meet up one night in Epcot.

I had sent Susan my spreadsheet with all our ADR’s listed and, I received an e-mail back entitled “Illuminations Cruise” it was sent to both me and Nanatink. I forwarded it to GIN7274 and asked if she would be interested in splitting the cost of the Illuminations Cruise with Susan, I and Stephanie. She replied back “Of Course we would!!! I knew Nanatink would be in on it also!!! She was very busy at work that day, so it was a while before I got her reply.

So Susan hit the ground running, called and booked one of the Pontoon Boats for the 8 of us. The Breathless(speedboat) was not available and I don’t think all 8 of us would have fit…. Susan decided on the 21st since that was the night we had planned our dinner around the world.

So now add to this already wonderfully planned trip an “Illuminations Cruise” for 8. This will truly be the best trip and the trip of a lifetime!!! Four Passporter friends and their spouses, cruising around on a Captained pontoon boat on the World Showcase Lagoon. No obstructed views for us short people, no lobbying for the perfect spot to watch Illuminations an hour before it starts. No beat the crowds to the front of the park to catch the monorail or bus back to our Resort.

Grumpy and his 28 year old Canon camera will be there with his 800 speed film will be there to catch all the wonderful shots of fireworks and the gang!!

We will be boarding the pontoon boat from the dock at the Yacht & Beach Club, we will go under the International Gateway bridge and will be sitting somewhere in the lagoon near France. After the cruise we will be disembark back at the Yacht & Beach Club and head out the front to catch a bus back to our resorts.

What else can we possibly find or do to add this wonderful mix already I am not sure just yet, but stick around for the next installment

[KMB733]

Great Start! Congrats on booking an Illuminations Cruise!!

[Cam22]

You all have chosen some terrific ADRs! Congrats on getting Le Cellier, too! the tag team reporting!

[Luvsun]

Congrats on getting that Le Cellier ADR - twice!
Your ADRs look oh so yummy!
Sounds like a very fun and magical trip is being planned by all of you!

[bitterchickey]

This sounds soooo fun!!! Will be waiting for every delish detail!

[bsblady01]

I hope that you and your dh have a magical time at the world

[Meggera]

What a trip this will be for y'all! The Illuminations cruise will be wonderful. You're going to have a magical trip!

[chezp]

Great updates guys! Congrats on snagging Le Cellier.