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.

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

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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.

Another tip is to check the park hours AND check the times of the nighttime spectaculars like Illuminations, Wishes and Fantasmic. Plan your dining according to what park you'll be visiting in a given day to avoid having to spend a lot of your vacation time driving around - or taking Disney transportation. (we'll have a rental car for this one!). This requires that you have at least a "game plan" as to where you're going what day. For example, we will be doing Epcot on Saturday and we want to stay for Illuminations. So, I've made ADR's for 6:30 at San Angel in the Mexico pavillion. Lovely atmosphere - STRONG margaritas, and good food. We'll take our time eating, then grab a good spot for Illuminations around 8:00.

More later!!!!!!