4 days and counting!! The excitement is certainly building! I found this great slideshow of Port Orleans Riverside resort on You Tube:
This resort, in my opinion, barely fits into the "moderate" price category. The grounds are spectacular indeed, but add to that the horse drawn carriage rides and the boat launch to Downtown Disney and you've got a "deluxe" experience if you ask me, without the deluxe price tag! The rooms are smaller than our 2 favorite resorts, the Polynesian and the Beach Club, but they are comparable to the rooms at Wilderness Lodge.
Okay - tomorrow I'll call to confirm the resort reservation, fax in my building request and confirm our Advance Dining Reservations.
Today - I think I"ll get myself all excited by watching one of our Disney planning DVD's or a show I've Tivo'd from the Travel Channel. I have an extensive library of choices.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Countdown: 1 Week til' D-Day
Only one week until Disney - I can't believe it. I've been so busy, and I've been a little under the weather, that I haven't been able to relish the PD period (pre-Disney) as much as I usually do. Maybe that is due in part because my husband won't be going this trip. My mom and Aunt love going to Disney, but they aren't true "worldphiles" like me and my husband. They are excited and all, but nothing compares to US in our PD mode.
As I've said before, planning is all part of the fun. The build-up, the excitement, knowing that when you arrive all you have to think about is "what fun thing am I going to do next." No work, no house chores, no appointments (unless you consider your Advance Dining Reservations (ADR's) "appointments").
We have our ADR's for arrival night, Friday night and Saturday night. My mother-in-law once told me, "you guys only go to Disney to eat." Well, that's certainly not the case, BUT it is something we take quite seriously. And although my darling husband won't be on this all-girls weekend getaway, I do plan on having some nice meals. And some burgers, hot dogs and the like as well.
We're staying at Port Orleans Riverside. To make our life easy, on arrival day (we'll get to the resort around 6:00 p.m.), we'll be dining at Boatwright's Dining Hall which is a full-service restaurant at the resort. I'm a little bummed - the menu has changed a bit over the years. This isn't a restaurant we go to a lot, because we stay at different resorts, but I recall getting fried chicken (in TRUE southern fashion) and they also had a yummy pot roast. It's fun to check out the latest menu and think about what "delicious morsels you'll be putting in your mouth." That's a direct quote from my mom.
Here's a snippet of the menu - describes the entrees, sides and desserts. I got this info from a great fan site: www.allearsnet.com. There you can get pretty up-to-date menus on most, if not all, of the restaurants on property. Very helpful when planning your dining...you can even plan out your dining budget. I'm diggin' that chicken dish.
More later!!!!!!
As I've said before, planning is all part of the fun. The build-up, the excitement, knowing that when you arrive all you have to think about is "what fun thing am I going to do next." No work, no house chores, no appointments (unless you consider your Advance Dining Reservations (ADR's) "appointments").
We have our ADR's for arrival night, Friday night and Saturday night. My mother-in-law once told me, "you guys only go to Disney to eat." Well, that's certainly not the case, BUT it is something we take quite seriously. And although my darling husband won't be on this all-girls weekend getaway, I do plan on having some nice meals. And some burgers, hot dogs and the like as well.
We're staying at Port Orleans Riverside. To make our life easy, on arrival day (we'll get to the resort around 6:00 p.m.), we'll be dining at Boatwright's Dining Hall which is a full-service restaurant at the resort. I'm a little bummed - the menu has changed a bit over the years. This isn't a restaurant we go to a lot, because we stay at different resorts, but I recall getting fried chicken (in TRUE southern fashion) and they also had a yummy pot roast. It's fun to check out the latest menu and think about what "delicious morsels you'll be putting in your mouth." That's a direct quote from my mom.
Here's a snippet of the menu - describes the entrees, sides and desserts. I got this info from a great fan site: www.allearsnet.com. There you can get pretty up-to-date menus on most, if not all, of the restaurants on property. Very helpful when planning your dining...you can even plan out your dining budget. I'm diggin' that chicken dish.
Entrees
Jambalaya - a Creole recipe with Spiced Chicken Thighs, Andouille Sausage, Shrimp, Rice, and Vegetables $17.99
Grilled Pork Chop - served with Maque Choux and Apple Butter $20.99
Pasta with Shrimp - Spinach, Olives, Zucchini, Eggplant, Shallots, Boursin Cheese, and Sun-dried Tomatoes between Pasta Sheets $18.99; with chicken $17.99; as a vegetarian entree $16.49
Grilled Filet Mignon - served with Crawfish Hollandaise and Three-Cheese Hash-Brown Potatoes $29.99
Slow-roasted Prime Rib - with Three-Cheese Hash Brown Potatoes and Cabernet Sauce $21.99
Blue Cornmeal-Breaded Chicken Breast - with Hoppin' John, Rosemary Pecan Maple Syrup, and Sweet Potato Biscuit $16.99
Blackened Red Snapper - with a Grilled Grit Cake and Stewed Green Tomatoes $18.99
Sides
Warm Sweet Potato Salad $2.79
Sauteed Mushrooms $2.79
Seasonal Vegetables $ 2.79
Southern Greens $ 2.79
Dessert
Pecan Pie - A traditional Southern favorite $5.49
Chocolate Cake - with Fresh Cream and Raspberry Sauce $5.99
Individual Apple Pie - served warm with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream $5.49
Bananas Foster Angel Food Cake - served with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream $5.49
Fresh Seasonal Berries $4.99
After din-din, we'll walk right over to the River Roost lounge (about 20 paces) and enjoy Piano Bob. Hilarious man who sings, plays and interacts (to put it lightly) with the audience
The next morning, our first full Disney Day - we'll most likely have breakfast at Boatwright's - again, keep it simple, have breakfast right there at the resort. My mom MUST have coffee as soon as possible and she's informed me that she needs a "hearty breakfast" if she is to play all day. They have some yummy hearty choices indeed. I absolutely LOVE the Sweet Potato Cakes and the Banana Stuffed French Toast. Another menu snippet from allearsnet.com:
Signature Selections
Boatwright's Breakfast - two eggs any style, homestyle potatoes, buttermilk biscuits or toast with choice of bacon, sausage or ham $9.99
Sweet Potato Cakes - with honey-pecan butter and choice of bacon, sausage, or ham $10.49
Entrees
Breakfast Combo - two eggs with pancakes or French toast and choice of bacon, sausage or ham $11.99
Eggs Benedict - poached eggs with Canadian bacon, English muffin, homestyle potatoes and Hollandaise sauce $9.99
Omelet - three-egg omelet with choice of fillings, served with homestyle potatoes and buttermilk biscuits or toast $10.49
Fruit Plate - $8.99
Banana-stuffed French Toast - with strawberry-banana sauce and choice of bacon, sausage, or ham $10.99
Buttermilk Pancakes - with choice of bacon, sausage or ham $8.99; add blueberries $9.99
French Toast - battered baguettes tossed in cinnamon and sugar with choice of bacon, sausage or ham $8.99
Enough about food for now.
When making a reservation at one of the Disney hotels, you can make a request at your resort for a particular area, building, view, etc. Disney can't guarantee the request, but I am happy to report that we have NEVER once not had our requests met. For instance, for this trip, when making the reservation I asked the cast member to make a note that I would like to stay in the Mansions section, preferably Oak Manor as it is close to the main area. When my husband and I go, we like to be far away from the main area of the resort because we rather enjoy the extra walk (I mean - what a view!!). But, mom and Judy aren't spring chickens anymore, so I want to make this easy on them. About 3 days prior to arrival day, I'll send a fax to the front desk of the resort reiterating the request. In a nice, "requesting" sort of way. Never once has this not worked for us, but, again, these types of requests can't be guaranteed 100%. Also - a few days prior to arriving I always confirm my resort reservation and all of my ADR's.
More later!!!!!!
Monday, February 4, 2008
16 days to go!!
Okay - my next trip is going to be a bit "unconventional" for me. Why? Because I won't be going with my "DH" (Darling Husband). He'll be working. Can't be helped. My mom loves Disney, perhaps not as much as me, but she did pass some sort of "magical gene" onto me. We love to have fun. So, I'm taking her and my Aunt Judy for a long weekend trip in February. (16 days and counting)! I need a break from the winter doldrums. Looking forward to some palm trees swaying in the breeze. Let's hope it's a warm breeze. We've been in Feb. before (although it was early Feb) and it wasn't so Florida-esque. Here's hoping for highs in the 80's and lo's in the evenings of 60. Anything below 60 is completely unnecessary I always say.
A little background:
My DH and I started our Disney obsession back in 1994 - it was our honeymoon destination after much consideration between the Great Smokey Mountains or the Outer Banks of NC. Something inside me kept saying: "Disney Disney Disney." So I sprung it on him and he loved the idea. My parents took me quite quite frequently as a child. Disney was definitely a big part of me and I hadn't been for about 15 years.
DH worked for Radisson so we snagged a room rate at the Radisson Barcelo (spelling?????) on I-drive of, get this.....$33.00. That included tax ladies and gentlemen. Anyway, I was already a fan and I wandered how my new husband would feel about the magic. HE WAS HOOKED instantly. And, the rest is history. We've gone every year since. In the beginning, we could only afford to go once a year and we could only afford the value resorts. Eventually, we moved up to the moderate resorts and multiple trips per year. I'd say an average of 2 a year (sometimes 3). That honeymoon trip, although cheap, was our last time off-site. We've been lucky enough to have stayed at the following Disney resorts (not necessarily in any order): All Star Music, Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, Yacht Club, Beach Club, Old Key West, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Port Orleans Riverside, Swan and Dolphin (okay those last two aren't Disney-owned but they are on the property and fabulous).
In short - Disney is "our place." Yes, we go to other places, but when it comes down to it - all I can say is "We've been to Europe but we'd rather go to Disney World." 'nuff said.
Trip Planning:
First, I must explain something: The "PD" period. "PD" = Pre-Disney. You are in "PD" once you have an actual trip booked, meaning the resort is booked. So, I'm technically in double "PD" because I have the Feb all-girls trip booked and my summer trip booked. The PD period is a very exciting time. You plan the trip, talk about the trip, visit the fansites and discussion boards (my favorite: www. disboards.com - I'm known as PamNC). You watch the vast array of planning videos. You get yourself all excited about the trip - it's almost as fun as the actual trip itself.
We STUPIDLY let our annual passes run out, but I'll be getting new ones so I snagged a half-way decent annual passholder discount rate at Port Orleans Riverside. For the best info on how to save on vacationing with the mouse visit: www.mousesavers.com. I wouldn't call my rate a great value this time because: A) it's peak season and it's an expensive time to go B) the room rates have definitely gone up up up - and they charge more on weekends now. Blah blah blah. Doesn't matter - I'm going anyway.
Mom has been dying to go to Disney but doesn't really have anyone to go with, and she feels like it's getting too expensive. Her favorite companion is her sister Judy, just one year her junior. But, Judy has retired and is now afraid to spend any amount of money. Why I have no idea - it's not like she doesn't have any to spend. I thought about all the times my mom took me as a child. She made sure I had a magical vacation and I want to do the same for her. It was my DH's idea really - he said "let's do something special for your mom this year." Feb is a great time for this to happen given our schedules. DH and are going in June (yahooooo) for 8 nights and that's way too long to have mommy-in-law around if you know what I mean. Plus, she can't handle the extreme heat.
We opted to be sneaky. There is a great new airline, Allegiant Air. Snagged tickets for $171 - for both me and mom - round trip. Includes taxes, everything! The "catch" if you can call it that is they fly into the Sanford airport. No matter - it's only about 50 minutes via the toll road. I think. I hope. Anyway, we booked it without her knowledge knowing full well if I suggested flying she would put her foot down. She always says, "I'm skeeert." So, we kept the whole trip a secret until we had it all figured out. I booked POR, as aforementioned. Mom and Judy have stayed at Coronado Springs and loved it and I think POR is a much nicer choice. A more deluxe feel with the boat launch to Downtown Disney and the horse and carriage rides add such character. Heck, we're southern ladies - where else we would stay but the formerly named "Dixie Landings" - why they changed the name to Port Orleans Riverside I'll never understand. Well, I understand - I just don't concur.
We went to see her on Martin Luther King day - I was off work. We took our new planning DVD to watch on her big screen TV. We talked about our upcoming June trip. Got her all excited and then my DH said, "Mary, don't you wish you could go?" HE'S EVIL ISN'T HE??
She said, "Well, it looks like I'll never get to go again. An old retired woman living on social security and nobody to go with me." (ha ha - she was ripe for the attack!). Then, I said, "oh - I left my cell phone in the car, I'll be right back." Actually, DH and I had prepared a little surprise. A folder with the flight information, a big picture of the castle and a copy of the resort reservations. The heading: YOU'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!! I went outside pretending to get my camera and came in and said, "Mom, somebody, perhaps the mailman, left this at your door." She was like, "what???? why would he do that?" After scrambling for her glasses for what seemed like 1/2 an hour, she finally opened up the folder and saw "you're going to Disney World." She literally turned red with excitement. Or was the fear of the upcoming flight? No, it was definitely excitement.
So - the planning started. Here's our itinerary:
Wednesday 2/20
*Judy comes to mom's house to spend the night. I'll pick them up at noon the next day. They have been instructed to share a suitcase because Allegiant charges $10 per bag. No, I did not buy Judy's ticket...she was responsible for her flight. I paid for the room. Both mom and Judy have left-over tickets to use on the trip.
Thursday, 2/21
*Pick up the girls at 12:15. Be at the airport by 1:15. Flight is 2:40.
*Arrive in Sanford @ 4:15. Luggage. Rental Car. Leave the airport by 5:00 (hopefully sooner!)
*Stop by the grocery store for beverages for the room. (POR has refrig).
*6:00 - Arrive in Downtown Disney. Have to buy my annual pass since we were too stupid to renew back in November (long story).
*Check in at POR - approximately 6:30.
*Dinner Reservations for 7:30 at Boatwrights.
*Piano Bob in the River Roost lounge afterwards (mom hasn't seen him before - she'll love it!)
Friday, 2/22
*Breakfast at Boatwrights (love the banana stuffed french toast and sweet potato cakes!)
*Magic Kingdom in the a.m.
*Lunch - open - probably something quick and easy like a hot dog and FF at Casey's, one of mom's favorites.
*Wishes (fireworks spectacular - 6:45 - park closes @ 7:00
*Back to the resort - freshen up - take the boat launch to Downtown Disney
*Dinner at Raglan Road @ 8:30. Enjoy the music and dancing
*Float on back to POR sleepy and tired and worn out!
NOTE: If the older ladies can't handle the last leg of the itinerary starting with the boat launch to DTD, we'll opt for a quiet dinner at Boatwrights and some yummy cocktails in the room later. When I said we'd be stopping for beverages on the way in, I wasn't talking just water. LOL!
Saturday, 2/23
* Breakfast at Boatwrights
* EPCOT day! My mom's favorite park.
* Dinner @ San Angel in the Mexico pavillion @ 6:45
* Illuminations (that'll end the trip on a fantastic note!)
I won't include Sunday, 2/23 because that is the day we leave and that is something I don't care to discuss.
This is a quick trip - but I'm looking forward to bringing some magic to my mom! She has brought me such magic throughout the years. Be looking for trip reports (with pictures) - I plan on detailing each and every moment of the trip.
A little background:
My DH and I started our Disney obsession back in 1994 - it was our honeymoon destination after much consideration between the Great Smokey Mountains or the Outer Banks of NC. Something inside me kept saying: "Disney Disney Disney." So I sprung it on him and he loved the idea. My parents took me quite quite frequently as a child. Disney was definitely a big part of me and I hadn't been for about 15 years.
DH worked for Radisson so we snagged a room rate at the Radisson Barcelo (spelling?????) on I-drive of, get this.....$33.00. That included tax ladies and gentlemen. Anyway, I was already a fan and I wandered how my new husband would feel about the magic. HE WAS HOOKED instantly. And, the rest is history. We've gone every year since. In the beginning, we could only afford to go once a year and we could only afford the value resorts. Eventually, we moved up to the moderate resorts and multiple trips per year. I'd say an average of 2 a year (sometimes 3). That honeymoon trip, although cheap, was our last time off-site. We've been lucky enough to have stayed at the following Disney resorts (not necessarily in any order): All Star Music, Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, Yacht Club, Beach Club, Old Key West, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Port Orleans Riverside, Swan and Dolphin (okay those last two aren't Disney-owned but they are on the property and fabulous).
In short - Disney is "our place." Yes, we go to other places, but when it comes down to it - all I can say is "We've been to Europe but we'd rather go to Disney World." 'nuff said.
Trip Planning:
First, I must explain something: The "PD" period. "PD" = Pre-Disney. You are in "PD" once you have an actual trip booked, meaning the resort is booked. So, I'm technically in double "PD" because I have the Feb all-girls trip booked and my summer trip booked. The PD period is a very exciting time. You plan the trip, talk about the trip, visit the fansites and discussion boards (my favorite: www. disboards.com - I'm known as PamNC). You watch the vast array of planning videos. You get yourself all excited about the trip - it's almost as fun as the actual trip itself.
We STUPIDLY let our annual passes run out, but I'll be getting new ones so I snagged a half-way decent annual passholder discount rate at Port Orleans Riverside. For the best info on how to save on vacationing with the mouse visit: www.mousesavers.com. I wouldn't call my rate a great value this time because: A) it's peak season and it's an expensive time to go B) the room rates have definitely gone up up up - and they charge more on weekends now. Blah blah blah. Doesn't matter - I'm going anyway.
Mom has been dying to go to Disney but doesn't really have anyone to go with, and she feels like it's getting too expensive. Her favorite companion is her sister Judy, just one year her junior. But, Judy has retired and is now afraid to spend any amount of money. Why I have no idea - it's not like she doesn't have any to spend. I thought about all the times my mom took me as a child. She made sure I had a magical vacation and I want to do the same for her. It was my DH's idea really - he said "let's do something special for your mom this year." Feb is a great time for this to happen given our schedules. DH and are going in June (yahooooo) for 8 nights and that's way too long to have mommy-in-law around if you know what I mean. Plus, she can't handle the extreme heat.
We opted to be sneaky. There is a great new airline, Allegiant Air. Snagged tickets for $171 - for both me and mom - round trip. Includes taxes, everything! The "catch" if you can call it that is they fly into the Sanford airport. No matter - it's only about 50 minutes via the toll road. I think. I hope. Anyway, we booked it without her knowledge knowing full well if I suggested flying she would put her foot down. She always says, "I'm skeeert." So, we kept the whole trip a secret until we had it all figured out. I booked POR, as aforementioned. Mom and Judy have stayed at Coronado Springs and loved it and I think POR is a much nicer choice. A more deluxe feel with the boat launch to Downtown Disney and the horse and carriage rides add such character. Heck, we're southern ladies - where else we would stay but the formerly named "Dixie Landings" - why they changed the name to Port Orleans Riverside I'll never understand. Well, I understand - I just don't concur.
We went to see her on Martin Luther King day - I was off work. We took our new planning DVD to watch on her big screen TV. We talked about our upcoming June trip. Got her all excited and then my DH said, "Mary, don't you wish you could go?" HE'S EVIL ISN'T HE??
She said, "Well, it looks like I'll never get to go again. An old retired woman living on social security and nobody to go with me." (ha ha - she was ripe for the attack!). Then, I said, "oh - I left my cell phone in the car, I'll be right back." Actually, DH and I had prepared a little surprise. A folder with the flight information, a big picture of the castle and a copy of the resort reservations. The heading: YOU'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!! I went outside pretending to get my camera and came in and said, "Mom, somebody, perhaps the mailman, left this at your door." She was like, "what???? why would he do that?" After scrambling for her glasses for what seemed like 1/2 an hour, she finally opened up the folder and saw "you're going to Disney World." She literally turned red with excitement. Or was the fear of the upcoming flight? No, it was definitely excitement.
So - the planning started. Here's our itinerary:
Wednesday 2/20
*Judy comes to mom's house to spend the night. I'll pick them up at noon the next day. They have been instructed to share a suitcase because Allegiant charges $10 per bag. No, I did not buy Judy's ticket...she was responsible for her flight. I paid for the room. Both mom and Judy have left-over tickets to use on the trip.
Thursday, 2/21
*Pick up the girls at 12:15. Be at the airport by 1:15. Flight is 2:40.
*Arrive in Sanford @ 4:15. Luggage. Rental Car. Leave the airport by 5:00 (hopefully sooner!)
*Stop by the grocery store for beverages for the room. (POR has refrig).
*6:00 - Arrive in Downtown Disney. Have to buy my annual pass since we were too stupid to renew back in November (long story).
*Check in at POR - approximately 6:30.
*Dinner Reservations for 7:30 at Boatwrights.
*Piano Bob in the River Roost lounge afterwards (mom hasn't seen him before - she'll love it!)
Friday, 2/22
*Breakfast at Boatwrights (love the banana stuffed french toast and sweet potato cakes!)
*Magic Kingdom in the a.m.
*Lunch - open - probably something quick and easy like a hot dog and FF at Casey's, one of mom's favorites.
*Wishes (fireworks spectacular - 6:45 - park closes @ 7:00
*Back to the resort - freshen up - take the boat launch to Downtown Disney
*Dinner at Raglan Road @ 8:30. Enjoy the music and dancing
*Float on back to POR sleepy and tired and worn out!
NOTE: If the older ladies can't handle the last leg of the itinerary starting with the boat launch to DTD, we'll opt for a quiet dinner at Boatwrights and some yummy cocktails in the room later. When I said we'd be stopping for beverages on the way in, I wasn't talking just water. LOL!
Saturday, 2/23
* Breakfast at Boatwrights
* EPCOT day! My mom's favorite park.
* Dinner @ San Angel in the Mexico pavillion @ 6:45
* Illuminations (that'll end the trip on a fantastic note!)
I won't include Sunday, 2/23 because that is the day we leave and that is something I don't care to discuss.
This is a quick trip - but I'm looking forward to bringing some magic to my mom! She has brought me such magic throughout the years. Be looking for trip reports (with pictures) - I plan on detailing each and every moment of the trip.
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