Celebrating a decade together.....Disney style - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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We leave in 5 days for a much anticipated vacation to DLR to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. I am counting down the days and cant wait. That said I am rushing around trying to get so much done before we go.
This trip will be the longest time we have spent at DLR in one stay. We look forward to trying new restaurants and enjoying new rides with our two boys. We will be there for 6 days/5 nights. The last three days our wonderful family (and PP) friends Tricia (Tricia Davids), Roger and Katie Davids will be joining us. We cherish their friendship so much and we often plan our trips to DLR together.
We will be arriving on Wednesday May 25th and leaving on Monday May 30th, our anniversary is on the 26th.
We have been blessed enough to visit DLR many many times in the last two years. Last year we became annual pass holders and we love that freedom and the discounts we get along with it. I have written a few TR on this board and I hope y'all are not sick of them yet.
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Great start Jen! So exciting you and Kent will be celebrating your 10th Wedding Anniversary in DLR! to you and Kent on your Wedding Anniversary and many more years to come! Looking foward to reading more please! !
Me: Jen-39 - the planner girl - wife of ten years - mommy to two silly boys. Kent says I am the captain of our ship and keep it going in the right direction and fully stocked with supplies. I am a self admitted over-packer and detailed over-thinker. That said, we almost always have what we need in any contingency and we have a great plan in place for either a big vacation or a trip to the grocery store. This will be my 11th trip to DLR but 8 (this being 9) of those have been in the last two and a half years with our beautiful Disney loving boys.
Hubby: Kent- 41 - a silly and awesome daddy to our two boys and a great and supportive husband. Kent is a fly by the seat of his pants kind of guy and in the 17 years of knowing me, 12 years of being with me and 10 years of being married to me, he has found a great appreciation for my planning skills. I don't think he truly "got" my skill set until we had our boys. Then my true brilliance (or insanity) came out . He used to roll his eyes as I would explain my crazy logic to him but now he likes that we have the things we need (ok and some we don't). But don't worry he has found other reasons to roll his eyes at me. Kent is our master of goof and silly and he is awesome at it. He also will ride the teacups which I cannot without turning green so that is a huge bonus!! Kent grew up in LA so he has been to DLR by his guess 40ish times in his life. Oh and Kent will not allow me to refer to him as DH so through this TR I will NOT be saving any keystrokes on his behalf.
Oldest son: Ty-5-lover of pirates, Batman, Ariel, and all Pixar characters. Ty has an amazing sense of direction and a great memory too so the moment we are in DL he will be telling us the proper way to go to get us to all the best rides. He is a gentle and kind hearted boy who has been counting down to this trip on our calendar for weeks. Everyday he asks if we are going to DL yet. I am so proud!!
Youngest son: Ethan-3-lover of Buzz Lightyear, Lighting McQueen, Eeyore, Tigger and I think Mulan recently. Ethan has not met many foods in his life he does not love. He eats more than I do most days I swear and is still a tiny skinny little guy. He is my silly goofy blond haired boy and his energy level is insane. As I type this he is sitting next to me working his way through the better part of a pint of grape tomatoes and this is after a big breakfast! So needless to say he loves the food of DL as much if not more than the rest of us.
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We got some amazing deals to stay on property last year. We have not been seeing the same rates for any of the three hotels this year for any of our planned trips. for some dates the rates nearly doubled from what we found last year. This trip being a longer one does not help either. We went back and forth about what to do. We had stayed at the Anabella in the past and really enjoyed it. It is a little farther away from from the parks than the hotels right across on Harbor or the onsite hotels. It is not a bad walk and closer than some hotels for sure. They have several different room configurations and many with multiple areas or rooms with extra beds. It is nice to not have the kiddos and parents all sleeping so close to one another. I looked them all over and the Kids Suite looked perfect for us and was available. I was still not convinced. I considered doing Paradise Pier which is less than the DL Hotel and the Grand Cali and much like a Moderate in WDW. They also had club level available. I went round and round and finally decided to do the Anabella and use the saved money on food!! We booked the Kids Suite and we would even have an extra bed with bunks and a daybed in addition to our Queen sized bed.
Tricia and Rog were going through the same issues and of course we did not need to stay at the same hotel but it would be nice to be headed the same direction in the morning and evenings. They decided to book the Anabella as well and they reserved the Mission Suite. We had a Mission suite when we stayed last time when Ethan was in a crib and it was great.
Tricia and Rog offered to take care of our boys so Kent and I could have an evening alone to celebrate our anniversary. We said yes right away. We know the Davids will take great care of the boys and the boys know and trust them. We have wanted to try Napa Rose but I wanted the boys to be a little older so we guessed it would be another couple years before that might be possible. So I spoke with Kent and we agreed to try for an early dinner ADR at Napa Rose on the Saturday night once the Davids arrive.
Our actual Anniversary is on the 2nd day of the trip (Thursday) and I wanted to do something fun and special with the boys. I was thinking lunch at Blue Bayou. We all love POTC and Ty loves all things pirate and would love to eat and watch the boats go by. Lunch is always a better bet for happy boys so I marked that one down.
Ty loves Ariel from the Little Mermaid and we had a very magical meet and greet in January. Since we never know which princesses might be at the Fantasy Faire I thought we should try to do Ariel's Grotto so Ty could see her for sure. As an added bonus Katie could see whatever princesses came around to the table for that meal. So we thought that would be good for a meal on Sunday. We had to choose from breakfast and lunch for this since it is not offered at dinner. I looked at allears and the menu for lunch looked more appealing to me. So I marked that one down.
With our big dinner planned for Saturday dinner I did not want to do a big lunch which is usually how we do our days with the kiddos. I spoke with Tricia to see what they wanted to do since they would not be eating a big fancy dinner with us. She thought doing a bigger breakfast and a lighter lunch might work for everyone. She mentioned the Breakfast with Minnie and Friends so again I marked that for a hopeful ADR.
Everything else kind of fell into place like puzzle pieces.
We read that the Hungry Bear had a new menu so we marked that a place to try. They are opening a new CS place in the DL Hotel the day we arrive so we thought to try that. It is called Tangaroa Terrance with a tropical theme and food. We thought to try Naples for sit down pasta and pizza (family favs) which we have only done as take out in DTD. We needed a TS meal for the last day and Kent really wanted to do the Celebration BBQ again with the yummy chicken and sides. Tricia said that worked for them.
So I had to wait until we were 60 days out and called several days in a row to work out every we wanted but we got it all!!
So here is the plan:
Wed: Lunch at Tangaroa Terrance - no ADRs possible, Dinner at Naples ADR set. Thur: Breakfast at Catal - no ADRs possible, late lunch at Blue Bayou ADR set, plans to snack at QS places here and there around the parks. Fri: Breakfast at Whitewater Snacks in the Grand Cali, Lunch at Hungry Bear - no ADR possible, Dinner pick up dinner at Ralph Brennens Express. Sat: Breakfast at Minnie and Friends, Light lunch at QS around the park as needed, Early dinner for Kent and I at Napa Rose - ADR set, and the boys will go with the Davids to Taste Pilots in DCA for ribs - no ADRs possible Sun: Breakfast of granola bars etc on the way into the parks, Early lunch at Ariel's Grotto - ADRs set, Dinner at Whitewater snacks
Mon: Breakfast in the rooms as we all pack up and check out, Lunch at Celebration BBQ - ADRs set.
With small kiddos we will move or change anything we need to but as of right now this is the plan and we are very excited since a lot of these are new to us and with all of our recent visits that is saying something!
Up next: packing and planning and snack bags...oh my!
It sounds like a fantastic plan! I'm excited for you! I looked at the Anabella for the nights I didn't get at the Grand Californian Villas, but decided on the Carousel Inn because it's just me, I got a better rate, and it is closer to the park.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
It sounds like a fantastic plan! I'm excited for you! I looked at the Anabella for the nights I didn't get at the Grand Californian Villas, but decided on the Carousel Inn because it's just me, I got a better rate, and it is closer to the park.
I did the Carousel in January when I went with just Ty and it was great. You will be happy and it is very close!! You will also love the Grand Cali, we are back there in September and I am so excited, it is very special to me. I hope you do a TR for your trip so I can hear what you think of all things west coast.
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I love your introduction of characters. Oh your dining plans have my mouth watering, as some of the restaurants you're trying, I have on my wishlist for a DLR vacation some day! Sounds like your trip is going to be so magical Jen!
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Waiting to eat with Goofy - DLR May 2010
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to you and Kent on your Wedding Anniversary and many more years to come! Looking foward to reading more please! 
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Kent is our master of goof and silly and he is awesome at it. He also will ride the teacups which I cannot without turning green so that is a huge bonus!! Kent grew up in LA so he has been to DLR by his guess 40ish times in his life. Oh and Kent will not allow me to refer to him as DH so through this TR I will NOT be saving any keystrokes on his behalf. 
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