tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63222682015001935122024-03-14T00:19:57.522-07:00Our Trip to the WorldPlanning our first ever trip to Walt Disney World, Florida.
Follow along as we plan!Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-51761723968740758752014-07-24T08:10:00.000-07:002014-07-24T08:10:08.244-07:0025 days to go...Can I start packing please?
<P><CENTER><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lincolnian/2034597686" title=""25" by Brian, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2311/2034597686_c86122230d.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt=""25""></a><BR> Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lincolnian/">Brian</a></CENTER>
<P>Today, we're thinking about buying some more dollars, counting my spending money tin and finding somewhere to start collecting all the things we need for our holiday... and trying to figure when we're going to sleep, as we're planning on closing the park a little too often! ;)Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-23439556857847535272014-07-19T06:11:00.002-07:002014-07-19T06:11:58.079-07:00Final Countdown...So, with a month to go rolling around yesterday, I think it's time to begin our final countdown...
<P>That means today we are at:
<P><CENTER><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dskley/8959094355" title="30! 156/365 by Dennis Skley, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5342/8959094355_150e422bd3.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="30! 156/365"></a><BR>Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dskley/">Dennis Skley</a></CENTER>
<P>With 30 days left, I'm starting to think about my packing list, and getting a pile together of things we need to take with us. I'm so excited!Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-14506496597940684482014-07-14T10:00:00.000-07:002014-07-14T10:00:33.119-07:00A Run Down of the PlansI also felt it was worth updating a run down of our plans and reservations for our Disney trip, in case you're interested!
<P><b>Monday 18th August</b>
<BR>Traveling via Gatwick direct to Orlando International Airport, and checking into Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort. No dining planned, although we have FP+ booked for Dumbo, the Tea Cups and the Main Street Electrical Parade, in case we fancy saying hello to the Magic Kingdom on our first evening.
<P><b>Tuesday 19th August</b>
<BR>Visiting Disney's Hollywood Studios, with lunch (the Fantasmic Dining Package) at Mama Melrose, and the Premium Package for the Frozen Summer Fun events.
<BR>FP+ booked for Star Tours, Tower of Terror and Toy Story Midway Mania
<P><b>Wednesday 20th August</b>
<BR>Visiting the Magic Kingdom, with dinner booked at Be Our Guest. If Disney will honour it, we also have priority viewing booked for Wishes.
<BR>FP+ booked for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan's Flight and Haunted Mansion.
<P><b>Thursday 21st August</b>
<BR>Visting Epcot, with dinner booked at Akerhus. Again, if Disney will honour it, we have priority viewing for IllumiNations as well.
<BR>FP+ booked for Soarin', Maelstrom and Mission: Space.
<P><b>Friday 22nd August</b>
<BR>Back to the Magic Kingdom, with a pre-rope drop breakfast at Crystal Palace (that took weeks of stalking to book!)
<BR>FP+ booked for Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and then on one account, Anna and Elsa, and the other Cinderella and Rapunzel (with the plan being that we swap Magic Bands so I can do both!)
<P><b>Saturday 23rd August</b>
<BR>Visiting Animal Kingdom until mid-afternoon, with a late lunch booked at Tusker House.
<BR>FP+ booked for the Safaria, Expedition Everest and Dinosaur.
<BR>After that, I am attending the Villains Unleashed event (on my own!)... dressed as Rapunzel! :D
<P><b>Sunday 24th August</b>
<BR>We have a "free" morning to revisit any park we wish, hang out at the resort or have a lie in, before heading to the Magic Kingdom in the afternoon, before dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table.
<BR>We have FP+ for the Festival of Fantasy parade, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and the viewing area for Wishes.
<P><b>Monday 25th August</b>
<BR>A final morning to visit Downtown Disney (maybe) or head over to the Magic Kingdom again (maybe!)
<BR>Just in case, we have FP+ booked for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Anna and Elsa and Enchanted Tales with Belle.
<P>After that, it's time to catch the Magic Express back to MCO for our red eye flight back to Gatwick. I suspect there'll be a few tears!Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-88624746569433810442014-07-14T09:41:00.000-07:002014-07-14T09:41:04.639-07:005 weeks to go!What a crazy feeling, to be down to just 5 weeks until we head to Florida. In fact, if all goes to plan, by this time in 5 weeks we shall be on our way across the Atlantic! Yipeee!
<P>Plans are really taking shape now, with ADRs done (after a bit of moving them around), FP+ booked for every day and a secret surprise (that I'll tell you about in a minute, if you promise not to tell!) booked to surprise my lovely husband with!
<P><CENTER><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pullip_junk/10896671584" title="Frozen by Hina Ichigo, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7388/10896671584_1d4bba34a7.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Frozen"></a>
<BR>Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pullip_junk/">Hina Ichigo</a>- used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/legalcode">license</a></CENTER>
<P>The surprise centres around a certain event in honour of Disney's newest royalty, Princess Anna and Queen Elsa. More specifically, we will be Premium Package guests for the Frozen Summer Fun events happening at Disney's Hollywood Studios when we visit there on our first day at the parks. Desserts and alcohol? Reserved viewing? Sounds good to us!
<P>Hopefully, my lovely husband will enjoy the surprise and it'll save us losing lots of time in queues for the Frozen events... the Dessert Party is definitely the thing I'm most looking forward too, and sort of makes up for the fact that we totally failed to get a reservation for the Dessert Party at the Magic Kingdom (because I decided we wanted one much too late... oh well!)
Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-69215137315474160462014-06-19T12:20:00.000-07:002014-06-19T12:20:01.685-07:003 months later...Whoops! So it's been 3 months (and 1 day!) since I last blogged... and to be fair, for the most part, there hasn't been much to say. Between 180 days out and 60 days out, there's not a lot to do. I managed to grab a pre-Rope Drop breakfast reservation at Crystal Palace (which I was thrilled about) after weeks and weeks of stalking for one. But the rest of the interesting news has come in the last couple of weeks anyway!
<P>Two weeks ago, Disney announced a special hard ticket event, happening for one night only... and it fell during our trip! I was so excited. The Villains Unleashed event sounded amazing, and I was very excited, but nervous. Tickets went on sale to DVC and AP members first, and then 4 days later to the general public. Of course, Disney don't announce how many tickets are available, so it was a very tense wait... but the day rolled round, and my ticket was secured! As a hard ticket event, it is also an event adult may wear costumes to... so a lovely Rapunzel dress was purchased to complete my evening.
<P>Today marks 60 days out, which means it was FP+ day! I woke up for the 5am "release" which didn't happen at 5am (nearer 6am) which caused some stress, but we got all the FP+ reservations we wanted, including two sets of FP+ for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and 2 sets to meet Anna and Elsa (though I may ditch one of those so someone else can grab them)... But, basically, today has been the big exciting day, and with everything booked, we begin the final countdown!
<P>We've also changed our plans for our final day in the parks- we've ditched Epcot (and Le Cellier) in favour of dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table. Somehow, we snagged a 7pm ADR at around 62 days out without spending weeks stalking for one. Talk about lucky!
<P>So, that's our update. I'll post with a little more detail for all of those things over the coming days. :)Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-52529525731881332042014-03-18T13:08:00.000-07:002014-03-18T13:08:26.662-07:005 months out...Today feels like a pretty significant day. Today we are 5 months out from our trip to Walt Disney World.
<P>When we booked, we were over 11 months away from our trip. That means we have waited over 6 months, and now have less time to go than we have waited already, and that is good news! It feels like we have been waiting forever, but at the same time, it feels very close, and like the last 6 months have flown by. I can't wait! Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-22817508843129502302014-02-28T10:08:00.000-08:002014-02-28T10:08:20.537-08:00Fireworks: Thank you WDTC! :)When we booked our holiday, one of the Magical Extras that was included was "Preferred Viewing" of the fireworks at both the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. I found out last week I needed to book that, and so called at the weekend to try and book our slots for that. When I called, there was an option on the phone menu for Fireworks Reservations, but the CM I spoke to told me it wasn't possible to honour the extra (despite the fact it's on our invoice). I was unhappy about it, but as our phone line was very fuzzy, it wasn't the time to have a long conversation about it.
<P>Fast-forward to Wednesday evening, when a friend tells us she has successfully made reservations for August 25th (several days after when we want ours)... so yesterday I tried again. Fortunately, I had access to a better phone line, and although the first CM I spoke said it wouldn't be possible, she offered to put me through to Reservations to check with them. So I spoke to Reservations (I think with a CM called Anne-Marie), who said of course they would honour our extra, as it was part of our booking, and sorted everything out for me in a couple of minutes. She was lovely, and very helpful (and congratulated us on the fact we're celebrating our 4th Wedding Anniversary whilst we're there). So, THANK YOU, ANNE-MARIE! :) I'm sure she'll never read this, but she made my day.
<P><CENTER><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonshortphd/8072900953/" title="EPCOT Fireworks by Jason Short 2008, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8032/8072900953_658da12114_n.jpg" width="320" height="256" alt="EPCOT Fireworks"></a><BR>Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonshortphd/">Jason Short</a></CENTER>
<P>Another job done... and it'll soon be time to start thinking about FP+ options! :DMrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-59444699583973829542014-02-23T10:08:00.001-08:002014-02-23T10:08:31.185-08:00ADRs are sorted! Yipee!If you've planned a WDW trip of your own, you'll appreciate the excitement of being able to put some of your plans down in black and white at last. Whilst on holiday in Iceland last week, on a coach tour with patchy Wi-Fi, I managed to make most of my ADRs, and got the final one that wouldn't work when I got home.
<P>So, our dining looks like this:
<BR>Tuesday 19th- Dinner at Mama Melrose (we LOVE Italian food) as part of the Fantasmic Dining Package.
<BR>Wednesday 20th- Dinner at Be Our Guest- so excited about this one. This was top of my list for our ADRs, and is one of the experiences on my <a href="http://longsdisneytrip.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/my-wdw-bucket-list.html">Bucket List</a> for this trip.
<BR>Thursday 21st- Dinner at Akerhaus Royal Banquet- we're going to meet the Princesses!
<BR>Friday 22nd- Dinner at Crystal Palace- meeting our friends from the 100 Acre Woods.
<BR>Saturday 23rd- Lunch at Tusker House- hello Mickey!
<BR>Sunday 24th- Dinner at Le Cellier- a special treat for my lovely husband, who will by that point have put up with a lot! He loves steak!
<P>We're very happy with all our bookings- most came in within an hour of our ideal time, so we're well chuffed with that. Bring it on! 176 days to go!Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-27796300708699485622014-01-19T00:30:00.000-08:002014-01-19T00:30:01.744-08:00Plans at Last: Part 2Part Two of yesterday's post: our plans are taking shape!
<P>So, on to:
<P><i>Friday 22nd August</i>
<BR>Back to the <B>Magic Kingdom</B>- it looks like another good day, and we're hoping for another character meal at Crystal Palace (probably lunch or dinner). I know Magic Kingdom is a big park, and one day won't be enough (two probably won't either, but we're limited on time)... two days means we can get FP+ for six different rides over the two days, so hopefully we should get to ride all the biggies! :)
<P><CENTER><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/loimere/5067456773/" title="Day 4 - Magic Kingdom by Loimere, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4132/5067456773_aec7fbc094_n.jpg" width="240" height="320" alt="Day 4 - Magic Kingdom"></a><BR>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/loimere/">Derek Hatfield</a></CENTER>
<P><i>Saturday 23rd August</i>
<BR><B>Animal Kingdom</B> is our destination for the Saturday and should be a nice change of pace. If we manage it, we might go for an ADR at Tusker House for lunch, so I can make sure I get myself a hug from Mickey Mouse! (Can't miss out on the Big Cheese!)
<P><CENTER><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/harshlight/5297158279/" title="Animal Kingdom by HarshLight, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5010/5297158279_c9444dc49a_n.jpg" width="320" height="213" alt="Animal Kingdom"></a><BR>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/harshlight/">Anna Fox</a></CENTER>
<P><i>Sunday 24th August</i>
<BR>Sunday will be a flexible day. We might head to EPCOT. We might go to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon (or do a bit of both. We might spend some time at Downtown Disney, or swim at the resort- who knows?
<P><i>Monday 25th August</i>
<BR>Our last day- we fly quite late in the day, so once we've checked out we have some time to kill. If we can make use of the resort pool, we might spend some time there. We might go back to EPCOT (as it's nearest to Saratoga Springs) or shopping at Downtown Disney- it'll probably depend on what we do on the previous day, before we have to catch the Magical Express back to MCO...
It feels a lot more real now we have a plan! :DMrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-75601174332890214352014-01-18T12:34:00.000-08:002014-01-18T12:34:54.807-08:00Plans at Last: Part 1Today we are 7 months away from our first ever visit to Walt Disney World. This week has been a good week, as the park hours for August have been released, and the park recommendations from various people are being updated. We're subscribed to <a href="http://touringplans.com/">Touring Plans</a>, but most of our decisions have been made based on the information we found at <a href="http://www.easywdw.com/">EasyWDW</a>.
<P><b>Our Plan So Far</b>
<P><i>Monday 18th August</i>
<BR>Arrive at WDW. We're not due to land until the early evening, and will be taking Disney's Magical Express from the airport to our resort. We're not planning on heading to the parks that evening- I guess we won't be at our resort before 8pm at the latest, which will be 1am UK time, so while we need to try and stay awake till a bit later, I suspect we won't get any further than DTD (but most likely just a little swim in our resort.
<P><i>Tuesday 19th August</i>
<BR><b>Hollywood Studios</b>. We had hoped to head to the Magic Kingdom on the first day, but a few people have recommended to me that we don't (don't see the best park first!) Although we're staying on site, we're going to try avoid the Extra Magic Hours as they draw the crowds. I think it's a good place to start for us, as my lovely husband is not the most avid Theme Park fan, and there seems to be a good mix of things to do. I'm hoping we'll be able to get an ADR for a Fantasmic Package for that first evening.
<P><CENTER><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephh922/6911053514/" title="Hollywood Studios, Disney World hat by Stephh922, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5238/6911053514_639036a644.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Hollywood Studios, Disney World hat"></a><BR>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephh922/">Steph</a></CENTER>
<P><i>Wednesday 20th August</i>
<BR>I can't keep us away from the <b>Magic Kingdom</b> for too long, so that'll be our second day park. My big big big hope is that we'll be able to get an ADR for dinner at Be Our Guest. I know these are like gold dust, so we've got the back up plan of heading there for lunch, as I would really like to see the place- it looks stunning. Keep your fingers crossed for us! If we do manage to book Be Our Guest, we'll probably celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary that day.
<P><CENTER><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/8245521845/" title="Be Our Guest by Joe Shlabotnik, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8201/8245521845_773bf68bae_n.jpg" width="320" height="212" alt="Be Our Guest"></a><BR>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/">Peter Dutton</a></CENTER>
<P><i>Thursday 21st August</i>
<BR>It's time for <B>EPCOT</B> and hopefully our first character meal- either lunch or dinner at Akerhaus. (Fingers crossed again please!) Hopefully the plan is to hit the park at rope drop to make sure we can ride both Soarin' and Test Track (as we can only get one of those two on FP+ unless the system changed before August... which to be fair, it might!)
<P><CENTER><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ctcaldwell/5159645125/" title="Epcot by Raw Processor, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1338/5159645125_b983eba98e_n.jpg" width="320" height="233" alt="Epcot"></a><BR>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ctcaldwell/">Raw Processor</a></CENTER>
<P>That's the first 4 days... I'll put the next 4 in a new post so it's not too long! :)Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-72284594423269547512014-01-03T06:35:00.000-08:002014-01-03T06:35:04.191-08:00Hello 2014! Happy New Year!<b>Or "I'm going to Walt Disney World this year!!"</b>
<P><CENTER><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/96312503@N08/10207392255/in/photolist-gxZy6D-5NQYVq-5NQZ8s-5NLGc4-eTMA3v-eTZ6Vq-eTYSj3-eTMrQP-eTMqtM-eTYVL9-eTYQSE-eTZ67o-eTZ4U3-eTMxkn-eTYX3o-eTZ2Qf-eTMszz-eTMCa2-eTMyBZ-eTMBsD-7JzxPc-7rfhQF-7rjdQU-4CPnpS-4CK7qV-4CPnAq-4CPnFj-4CK7Et-4CK7tP-4CPnCJ-4CPoV1-4CPp8A-4CPp7d-4CPp4L-4CPoYW-4CPoTU-4CPpaA-4CPoXo-4D1jHY-7rjdCQ-4jPc2t-5NLG3g-4jTdMf-9RWA9J-9RTFiB-bb4TcV-4jTees-4jTeff-b9RiaT-dDJ5zD-f4x85T"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/markwdw85/10207392255/" title="Stars and Stripes by MarkWDW85, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3711/10207392255_79baea7f59.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Stars and Stripes"></a></a><BR>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/markwdw85/">Mark W</a></CENTER>
<P>Hooray for 2014! It's here at last and I can say that we are going THIS year! Woo hoo! It is also January, which means soon (hopefully, very soon) Disney will be releasing the park opening times for August... once we know the opening times, we can start to make decisions on which park we want to visit on which day, and start to make decisions about where and when we might want for our ADRs when the bookings open up next month.
<P>As there's been very little serious planning I've been able to do (as we booked all the major bits at once- we bought our flights from BA the same day we booked the package of Accommodation/Free Dining/Park Tickets), it feels good to know there's finally something we can do (I customised our magic bands nearly a month ago because I could, and I know I won't change my mind on colour before then).
<P>As an aside, we are also taking a trip to Iceland next month (in fact, we will be out there when the 180 day window opens up, which is a slight pain), so as well as thinking about hot weather clothes and what we will need for our trip to Florida, I'm also trying to figure out acquiring thermals and the such like to keep me warm whilst in Iceland as I feel the cold big time!(I also don't deal well with heat... I have a very limited optimal operating temperature range, and think I may be being a glutton for punishment this year!)
<P>Anyway, Happy New Year all! I hope it is a good one for you all! :)Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-37234104780512962572013-12-11T10:27:00.001-08:002013-12-11T10:27:43.873-08:00How long?<CENTER><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sequoya/2263955938/" title="365:250 by seq, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2180/2263955938_0a807976fb.jpg" width="500" height="235" alt="365:250"></a>
<BR>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sequoya/">Jehane</a></CENTER>
<P>:D 250 days to go! WHOOP WHOOP! :D
<P>That is all for today :)Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-89200287321917376932013-12-09T10:32:00.002-08:002013-12-09T10:32:56.864-08:00REVIEW: Saving Mr BanksLast week, I managed to pop to the cinema to see Saving Mr Banks... I'm very lucky to live near a lovely (and cheap) cinema (adult ticket, small popcorn and bottle of water for £5.50? Thank you very much!) and a unusual Monday off work in which to enjoy a quiet afternoon enjoying a wonderful story.
<P>I'll start with prefacing this with some of the discussions about the film I've been involved with over at the DIS Boards. Some of them have expressed surprise that Disney have made this film, as "nobody knows Mary Poppins anymore"... as a Brit, I was happy to defend a national icon, as Mary Poppins is still well known here (guest spot in the London 2012 opening ceremony anyone?). The question being "are there enough people interested in the story behind the film to make it worth while?" and I guess the answer depends on what makes a film worthwhile. For me, this story was worth telling, and has been done very well.
<P><CENTER><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11325321@N08/6889132451/" title="Mary Poppins by starrynight_012, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/6889132451_f90eb25df1_m.jpg" width="240" height="178" alt="Mary Poppins"></a><BR>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11325321@N08/">mydisneyadventures</a></CENTER>
<P>I must admit I haven't seen Emma Thompson in something I didn't enjoy her performance in, and this was no exception. She was wonderful as Mrs P.L. Travers, author of Mary Poppins, as she dealt with her past, her future and her loathing for Walt Disney's vision for the film of her beloved Mary Poppins. Interwoven with the story of Mrs Travers and Walt Disney's time together in California is recollections from Travers' childhood in Australia, particularly focussing on her father and their relationship. The child actor playing the young Travers was excellent too.
<P>I've heard a fair bit of criticism of Tom Hanks as Walt Disney (interestingly, mostly from Americans who haven't seen it yet as it hasn't opened over there yet!) I'm too young to have seen Walt Disney on TV as a child. He died long before I was born, and I don't think I saw any footage of him until I was an adult. This film was the first time he felt like a real person to me. I don't care if his accent was wrong (I couldn't tell, which apparently makes me "from a different planet" but when they can tell the difference between Yorkshire and Devonshire accents without ever having met someone from both places, I'll start to worry about that). Walt felt real to me for the first time- more than a name or an idea, and more than the sugar-coated, rose-tinted image so many people have tried to present to me.
<P>I was surprised by how moving the film was (I spent a chunk of the last 30 minutes in tears) and also how much I loved the score (it's a long time since I've come back from the cinema and checked out a largely instrumental score on Spotify, but I've listened to this one a few times now.
<P>Overall, I'd rate it
<CENTER><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24992516@N07/4347962723/" title="Four stars by Yuliana_Vislova, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2686/4347962723_ffdd4df93d_m.jpg" width="240" height="142" alt="Four stars"></a><BR>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24992516@N07/">Yuliana</a></CENTER>
<P>Thank you, Disney, for making this one!Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-54681902095885034292013-12-07T10:09:00.001-08:002013-12-07T10:09:08.483-08:00The Saga of Linking our ReservationsWell, I'm back. This has been a much longer absence than I expected, but I went from being very busy to very ill without much space in between, and so I've not been spending very much time at the computer.
<P>An important update on our WDW planning came last week, when at long last our reservations linked with our My Disney Experience account. This has been a bit of a palaver, and so far the most annoying and unpleasant thing about our booking. I would have thought as we booked directly with the Walt Disney Travel Company via their website, that this kind of thing was automated, but it wasn't and even with quite a bit of effort, I wasn't able to solve the problem myself (or find a Cast Member who could help).
<P>I first tried to link out account after booking at over 11 months out from our travel date. It didn't work. I checked around on the website, and found this in their FAQS:
<BR><blockquote><B>I’m staying at Old Key West or Saratoga Springs – why can’t I link my reservation?
If you’re still more than 10 months away from your holiday arrival date and are staying at Disney’s Old Key West Resort or Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa your reservation may not have yet downloaded to My Disney Experience to be linked. Rest assured your reservation is guaranteed, but until you’re within 10 months of arrival it unfortunately can’t be linked in My Disney Experience.</B></blockquote>
<BR> <i>(You'll find it under the <a href="http://wdtc.disneyinternational.com/FAQ.asp">My Magic+ tab on the drop down menu</a>...)</i>
<P>So, the website clearly says it's not possible to link until the booking details are downloaded to the system at 10 months out, right? Wrong! Not one of the Cast Members I spoke to knew anything about this, and they each told me something different.
<P><CENTER><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikerbaker/2674358147/" title="phone by mike r baker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3158/2674358147_bf32bec19a_m.jpg" width="240" height="200" alt="phone"></a><BR>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikerbaker/">Mike Baker</a></CENTER>
<P>The first CM I spoke too knew nothing about the 10 months out stated on the website. She pointed out the 6 digit code that was issued to me as my reservation number as a UK guest was not the number I could use to link my account. I needed a 8 character alpha-numeric code to link the reservation, but she couldn't help provide it. She suggested I leave it a couple of weeks and call again. She also wished me a "magical day"... which as a Brit, I found hard not to take as sarcasm!
<P>The second CM I spoke to was LOVELY... but similarly couldn't help. She did add to our reservation that it would be our first visit, and that we were celebrating our fourth wedding anniversary whilst there. She told us we wouldn't be able to link before 190 days out, but to try after we'd come under 200 as we might be lucky. She told us this was because we were staying at a DVC resort, but said we'd be able to link before the time for ADRs opened up at 180 days out.
<P>The technical support CM was USELESS. I was on the phone over an hour. He couldn't find my reservation, because he's a) not listened when I told him the number and b) not checked the name on the booking (he looked for my name- it was booked in my husband's name). When we finally got that sorted out, he couldn't link it either. He told me it probably wouldn't be possible until March (bear in mind, ADRs open up for us mid-February) and it was because we were staying at a DVC resort AND had a dining plan.
<P>That last phone call was around 20th of October... after which, I kinda lost the will to fight the system. It was stupid. Lovely UK guests from the DIS Boards told me it was possible to link, but I was having no joy, and had no time to fight them. Then I was busy. Then I got sick... and then earlier this week I thought I'd try again. I'm not sure why, but I did.
<P>I was 259 days out. I put in my 6 digit UK reservation number into the manual linking bit on MDE... and the link went through! I'm not sure what changed, but it finally worked, and I was doing a happy dance at last. Turns out the first CM I spoke to was most correct, although I didn't need the 8 digit code (that I do now have access to on my MDE account).
<P><CENTER><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bies/28050986/" title="footsteps by bies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/23/28050986_0a5271942b_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="footsteps"></a><BR>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bies/">Bianca de Blok</a></CENTER>
<P>This felt like a huge jump forward in our journey to WDW, and I wanted to share it to give hope to anyone else having the joy of fighting with MDE to make theirs work too!
Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-5945788034824710262013-11-23T10:10:00.002-08:002013-11-23T10:10:38.426-08:00Stocking up on things...I've been busy over the last few months trying to find things to take with me to WDW... specifically, I've been looking for things I want to do in the park, but which are a bit overpriced. My mum has kindly bought me a selection of Disney trading pins as a Christmas present as a starting point for trading in the park. I've also just acquired a lovely Disney princess notebook, which I'm planning to use as an autograph book during our visit. Sadly, it's lined, but as it is a genuine Disney product, A5 sized and cost me only £2 (including postage), I'm not going to worry too much about that one. It's a case of finding the right intersection between value and what I'm looking for.
<P>Aside from my pins and my notebook, what other things would you recommend to take with us that would cost us dear in the park? Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-6542661615120880242013-11-17T09:14:00.002-08:002013-11-17T09:14:35.702-08:00I'm still here!I just thought I'd update to to say I'm still here, and will be writing more posts over the coming week... I've just had my first weekend off after 12 days straight working (some of the away from home) and so I'm trying to catch up on so many things... blogging has to be down the list sadly!
Catch you soon!Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-13068656738792541482013-11-05T09:42:00.001-08:002013-11-05T09:43:18.859-08:00Focusing on the GoalBooking our WDW trip more than 11 months in advance means we have a <b>LONG</b> time to wait... in fact, I think the last time we booked anything further in advance, it was our wedding, and that time dragged by at a snail's pace.
<P>Like a wedding, there is a lot of research and planning involved in our WDW trip. Unlike a wedding... I don't have to worry about anyone other than me and my lovely husband. This trip is about us (no children, no family, no friends... just us!)
<P><CENTER><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/55293400@N07/5527061226/" title="Hour Glass by Ömer Ünlü, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5254/5527061226_ebf32d95cd_m.jpg" width="139" height="240" alt="Hour Glass"></a>
<BR>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/55293400@N07/5527061226/">Omer Unlu</a></CENTER>
<P>I have several ways of counting down to our trip.
<BR>*My lovely <b>ticker</b>, at the top of the blog, which gives me a nice "Months/Weeks/Days" figure to work with (9 months, 1 week and 6 days today).
<BR>*A <b>countdown widget</b> on my phone, which gives me a number of days (286 as I type).
<BR>*A <b>countdown calendar</b> on my office wall- I cross this off each day for the previous day, which means on Mondays, at least I can cross off three dates (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Some days, the best thing I can say is "well, I'm a day closer to Disney World!" and I keep focusing on the goal!
<P>Interestingly, using this method, somehow the time seems to be whizzing by at the moment. It's already 2 months since we booked (where did that time go?). We've completed one half term at school (5 more to go). It's only a few weeks until Christmas, then it'll be a few weeks until our trip to Iceland, then a few weeks until Easter, then a few weeks until half term, then a few weeks until Disney World... It reminds me of that old chestnut: How do you eat an elephant? A bite at a time!
<P>In the mean time, as I try and get everything sorted for the half term ahead (Advent is a CRAZY time) and continue to read, and research and chat with my fellow Disney fans... we're getting closer- one day at a time!Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-61596641343228056802013-11-04T09:15:00.001-08:002013-11-04T12:39:30.521-08:00Planning Resources: BooksI thought it'd be good to give a bit of a run down of the planning resources I'm currently making use of as we prepare for our big trip.
<P><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZbQpfAuHKCcyA3zczdKyt5K83hg2t1Ex6aM-VCJiYZFstvqxzKjhvk4hWX9N69oLP1q8yNh8QM6TD5aQY7g8yiBkoJBpax8OYNB_D1B4QAIzkP0LJjMF-RXxlBPfJeC_Ru_mHAF52jY/s1600/IMAG1038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZbQpfAuHKCcyA3zczdKyt5K83hg2t1Ex6aM-VCJiYZFstvqxzKjhvk4hWX9N69oLP1q8yNh8QM6TD5aQY7g8yiBkoJBpax8OYNB_D1B4QAIzkP0LJjMF-RXxlBPfJeC_Ru_mHAF52jY/s320/IMAG1038.jpg" /></a></div>
<P>These are the two books I've purchased so far (I've also had a few free e-books, but more on them another day). As you may see from the bookmarks, I'm still reading these. I'm probably about half way through each of them at the moment, and I'll review them properly when I'm done, but so far I'll say this:
<P><b>The Unofficial Guide: Walt Disney World 2014</b> is a godsend. I suspect if the info you need isn't in this book, you don't actually need it! I read quite a few reviews of this book myself before I purchased it, but I was overwhelmed at how BIG this book is (and the size more than justifies the price!) and how comprehensive it is. I particularly like the writing style, which is has a good balance between praise and realism. If it had been too "WOW", I don't think I'd have trusted it one bit. I love that they often show both sides of a particular point of view, with quotes from readers everywhere. Very impressed.
<P><b>The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World</b>... not so much. I love the premise of this book, but so far have found it a bit of a slog. It might be marginally better if I was stood in the parks with the book in my hand, but I have no intention of touring like that. I want to travel light. If I remember some tidbits from the book, great, but a lot of them aren't as interesting as perhaps the author thinks, are freely available on the internet or simply aren't true anymore (it was published in 2009, and even without having ever set foot in a park, I know some of the stuff in here is completely out of date)... I'm not sure I'd recommend this one. I don't like the writing style at all, and find it very same-y. I'd skip this one, if I had the chance to.
<P>I want to get my hands on a couple more books as the time gets closer, but these were my starting point. If you have any recommendations, do let me know! :)Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-11023954681321292912013-11-03T11:36:00.001-08:002013-11-03T11:36:18.995-08:00My WDW Bucket List<CENTER>So, this is it: my <b>MUST DO WHILST AT WDW</b> List<P><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/expressmonorail/3205979739/" title="Disney - The Wonderful World of Color - In Black & White - Wishes (Explored) by Express Monorail, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3424/3205979739_01acaf477a_m.jpg" width="196" height="240" alt="Disney - The Wonderful World of Color - In Black & White - Wishes (Explored)"></a>
<BR><i>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/expressmonorail/3205979739/">Joe Penniston</a></i></CENTER>
<P>*Get my very own personalised Mickey ears
<BR>*Meet Belle, and get a photo with her
<BR>*Meet Mickey, and have a hug!
<BR>*Grab at least one virtual geocache on the parks
<BR>*Get a nice photo of me and DH in front of Cinderella Castle
<BR>*Meet Jen from Cake Wrecks/Epbot (I've provisionally had a yes for this! Whoop whoop!)
<BR>*Do some pin trading (particularly, acquire pins of Belle, Stitch, Cinderella, Mike Wazowski, Mater, Mickey, Minnie and any character from Emperor's New Groove)
<BR>*Have one of those Mickey ice cream treats
<BR>*Get some characters autographs
<BR>*Swim in the resort pool
<BR>*See the Fireworks at Magic Kingdom and Epcot
<BR>*Have dinner at Be Our Guest
<BR>*Do a character meal (currently leaning towards the one in Norway at Epcot)
<P> I'm sure this list will grow (and it doesn't include my "Must Do Rides" either)... but it's a good start! Hopefully, an achievable start too!
Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-39539155538725324192013-11-03T09:53:00.000-08:002013-11-03T10:15:08.213-08:00The Details<P><b>Who?</b>
<P>Me, and my lovely husband.
<BR>That's right. No kids. Just us. I'm so pleased our first visit is happening before we have any children to worry about. I have dreamt of this trip since I was a little girl, and we are going to enjoy it our way!
<P><b>Where?</b>
<P>Staying at Saratoga Springs Resort, one of WDW's Deluxe Villa resorts.
<BR>We're not usually people who splurge on things, including holidays, but when it came to booking, there were a few things we wanted, one of which was the regular Disney Dining Plan. We initially looked at Port Orleans French Quarter, and checked the price for upgrading our free Quick Service Dining Plan to the regular DP. It would have cost us around £250 to make that upgrade. However, for £200 more we could upgrade to Saratoga Springs, which automatically upgraded our Dining Plan... win win!
<CENTER><P><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonpratt/2610080462/" title="Disney's Saratoga Springs at Night by Jason Pratt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3269/2610080462_3d4c336d29_m.jpg" width="240" height="153" alt="Disney's Saratoga Springs at Night"></a>
<i><BR>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonpratt/2610080462/">Jason Pratt</a></i></CENTER>
<P><b>When?</b>
<P>18th August - 25th August 2014
<BR> You may notice the countdown above. I am counting down. We are celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary the week before, and so will save the actual celebrations for whilst we are away. Hooray!
<P><b>How?</b>
<P>Flying economy (sigh!) with BA, direct from Gatwick to MCO.
<BR>Thank you BA, for the £200 voucher after problems with our holiday in New York this summer. That took a nice dint out of the flight costs.
<CENTER><P><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/michal818/1473600819/" title="British Airways Boeing 777 by michal818, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1011/1473600819_2b3b7e5d52_m.jpg" width="240" height="138" alt="British Airways Boeing 777"></a>
<i><BR>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/michal818/1473600819/in/photolist-3fdAbF-7Shy98-97JsTm-adX9pY-adUjhF-9y22jZ-952MmS-8j9M5W-9KN3No-a9RWHH-95xc4-diNRaJ-7T2wTF-9Dvf1f-75ZJ32-9op5ZY-bsT22P-9a92dj-8LXhda-95W2Gs-8NfT64-8NiXeW-5KJmW4-3KF5v-7RtDNs-4aAjzM-c4Q45L-8cxcgs-9fdPCT-anDb69-9KLXP7-2YPo7L-7QeR3L-anDbkL-4CkuPZ-5m7Ass-9moQbW-8AErTu-7BxsVQ-9hg5r3-4pQmyy-9sy1NC-yz9hZ-cCc66Q-cwkLum-3k6vDD-9gjyRB-fyMqR7-fyMqHy-8LqwwU-9528Nm/">Michal Sosinski</a></i></CENTER>
<P><b>Why?</b>
<P>I guess this is a "why now?" really. We had long promised ourselves we would use our inheritance money when my Granny died. This might seem a bit morbid, but for us this is a memorial trip. She was always a lot of fun, and we're doing something fun in memory of her.
<P>I guess that's the basics... I'm sure they'll be more details to come soon!Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322268201500193512.post-54967363390829159982013-11-03T09:23:00.000-08:002013-11-03T09:27:55.600-08:00An IntroductionWell hello there! Welcome to our journey to our first ever visit to Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida!
<P>This blog will follow the highs and lows of planning our trip, and share with you the tips we find, the plans we make and the fun we have along the way!
<P>So sit back, relax and enjoy!
Mrs Gruffalohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07640036564735490935noreply@blogger.com0