Disney Quick Service Dining Plan, worth the money, you tell me?

Well, today is my first post from the world. We arrived at Disney World this afternoon checking in at Pop Century. First off let me give you a great time saver

#1 I did online check in so, we got off the Magic Express bus from Orlando and there was a cast member right at the podium, she said, are you the *****'s yes of course we are, well you are all set here is your check in packet, room keys and your room is right over there to your right, that was it, no waiting in a line, no anything just walk up and here's your room. She even had celebration buttons since we are celebrating Lily working so hard in physical therapy. Anyway, Pat was so impressed he said, did you do that, of course honey, I am the best planner!

So, we went to our rooms, and it was not that great, now, we are kind of hotel room snobs, and we decided that we are not exactly value resort kind of people, now don't get me wrong according to our budget we should be value resort people, but we like a certain amount of luxury. The room is small and simple but will serve its purpose.

Our first order of business was lunch, we are on the Quick Service Dining Plan, Now if I hadn't gotten a deal on the dining plan paying full price it would cost my family of three 295.88, for the entire trip. So, in order to demonstrate the value I shall use that number to break down the costs for you. A quick service meal includes an entree, drink and dessert for everyone. It also includes, a refillable mug for each person in the group. In addition you get 2 snacks per day. The resort mugs cost, 13.99 each or a total of 41.97. For lunch we had, nachos supreme, plus tie dye cheesecake, shrimp lo mein plus a mickey rice krispie treat and a kids beef with broccoli plus grapes and fruit punch jello, plus a Mickey Bar, this cost 48.35. The food was okay, the nachos were only passable, the chinese food was good, and who can mess up dessert. (I'll run the numbers at the end of the post.

Total meal plan cost if paying full price 295.88

cost of refillable mugs 41.97

cost of lunch 48.35

New total 205.56

Now you can use the meals in anyway you like, if you want to eat all of your meals in one day besides being sick as a dog you could do that, but I digress.

Next the bowling pin pool, then downtown disney.

Oh, I love to pack!

Hello all, I'm not sure if anyone reads this but. . .

Did you know that packing stinks? I hate to pack! Seriously!

And, did you also know that it is impossible to pack lightly when you are me? I've been completely convinced that I don't need to pack a ton of clothes for this short term disney trip but, it keeps piling up! Ah, well.

So, we are going to Disney, for a short trip. Here are the plans. . .

We will arrive at Disney on Tuesday, that day we are hanging around the pool, sightseeing around the resort and I've unearthed a really, really fun treasure hunt that is at our pool. I think that will make exploring the resort an absolute blast!

Wednesday we are going to Animal Kingdom park. We've been once before to this park but we didn't seem to see hardly any of the park? Who knows. I can hardly wait to check it out again.

Thursday, we are going to go to Epcot. Fun, Fun, Fun.

Friday, we are going to the Magic Kingdom, this is a family tradition that our last park is always the Magic Kingdom, it is a perfect way to top off the trip.

Here are some of "my things" that I hope to accomplish, I want to find Devine, she is a performance artist that you can sometimes find in the Animal Kingdom park. We saw her last time we went to the park and I'm a big fan, (see my photo above). I want to meet Marie, from the aristocats, I love that movie and I want to meet Marie, one of my favorite characters. I intend to make copious notes and I plan to blog from Disney to stay tuned.

i really dont mean to spend more money honey

Now, for those of you that are disney novices out there, let me tell you about the shark infested waters that are Advance Dining Reservations, aka ADR's. ADR's can be made exactly 180 days before the first day of your vacation. Now, this may seem like a okay whatever, I'll call today, or tomorrow, someday next week. . .and I say No! If you want to get a reservation at a few key locations at the right time you must call as soon as the reservation center opens on the 180th day. One of the hottest places to eat is at Le Cellier, which is a steakhouse in Cananada, in the EPCOT park. They are famous for their beer cheese soup. Now, I wasn't checking my dates for my vacation in December and I didn't even book that vacation until 172 days out from travel, so no joy on Le Cellier, I still try about twice a week for LeCellier reservations with no luck. However, I'm going to focus on my July trip here, for some strange reason, I decided that I will try and get a reservation for Le Cellier when I booked it 10 days prior to the day we left, yea, right, I can hear the disney mice giggling, what is she thinking? But, what to my wondering eyes should appear but a beautiful reservation for lunch, approximately 10 days before I wanted to dine. Wow. I wanted this reservation badly but the lunch prix fix price is about 30.00/adult and 8.00/child. Remember this July trip is our on the cheap trip, so I booked the reservation and then I cancelled it right afterwards. This just about killed me, but I was feeling virtuous. So, I told Pat about my predicament, and he said well, maybe one out of pocket meal would be okay, but you see about 6 hours passed that reservation was surely gone by now! Those of you who know the hubster will say to yourself, that doesn't sound like the Pat I know, but you see the speciality of the house is Beer Cheese Soup, his FAVORITE soup, and I mean favorite like he would surely bathe in it happily. So, now I REALLY want that reservation and wouldn't you know, it wasn't there, but there was another one 30 minutes earlier that the first, what? So, we are eating at Le Cellier and it just so happens that the meals will cost approximately the same money as I had in my change jar, so see it was meant to be!

So, when we get back if you run into the hubster you'll have to ask him how he enjoyed his bath in the beer cheese soup. The adoptive cheese head that he is.
We leave in two days so my next installment shall be: Packing sucks right? Our itinerary!

Welcome to the Disney Reservation, how may I help you, for the fourth time today?

So, now if you have any experience with the Disney Reservation Center you know that they are unerringly polite and helpful, even when like me you are calling to amend your reservation for the 4th time in one day.
It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind but this is ridiculous. I booked my vacation on-line at around midnight, but I had to call in the morning to put in a few requests. (Did you know you can do that) I requested a first floor room, easier to deal with and to make sure of where the preferred room was as I paid extra for that. (15.00/day) worth it for me. Call #1.
My original reservation was at All Star Music resort. Then, I was on the Disney website and running my reservation to make sure I had gotten the best deal and realized that Pop Century was available. Now Pop Century has always had a certain appeal for me, maybe it’s the oversized icons from my childhood, like the giant big wheel, or the hippy dippy pool, or the pac man ghosts all over the 80’s rooms, but I love the look of Pop Century. However, we’ve never stayed there, thinking of course that I’d rather have a better room or something else, but since this is supposed to be a low budge trip that means, a value hotel so I’ll choose Pop Century. Call #2 to the Disney Reservation Center, they were extremely courteous.
Now, again running the numbers on-line I realized that if I utilized the Kids stay and play free discount I realized that I could save about 50.00. Call #3 to the Disney Reservation Center. This in my opinion is the one negative about the Disney Reservation Center, they aren’t always as creative as you can be on a deal and if you don’t ask for a discount they don’t automatically search for one.
So, the hubster and I are discussing the trip etc. and he is just dreading the 1139 mile drive. So, I get on the computer and realize that I have enough reward miles to pay for part of a flight for free, making our flights extremely affordable. The down side. . .I will have to adjust our vacation by moving it up one day because that is when my local carrier flies out to Orlando non stop. Thus, call #4 to the Disney Reservation Center.
So, in case you are having trouble following my crazy ramblings we are now flying to Orlando and staying at Pop Century Resort in Orlando. Yippee.

Up Next: Honey, can we just go to this one expensive restaurant.

What the heck are you doing?

Oh my heck, what am I doing, going to Disney of course! My dearest, most indulgent wonderful hubster has agreed to go on a last minute vacay to Disney. He rocks right? You betcha.

Whoa, what is that you say, you are going to Disney and you just mention it now?

Well, I would have mentioned it sooner had I known I was going to Disney sooner. You see here is how it went down. . .

I am an avid disney stalker, I stalk the vacation planning site like crazy, I am constantly checking prices and envisioning scenarios where I can enter the Disney bubble, and experience the magic. So. . .Pat decided I think I need to take a vacation from work, I only scheduled one vacation this year in December. **insert eye roll here** He gets a lot of vacation time, but I digress. So, I have sensed a possible disney opportunity. Yee Haw. A long shot since I'm still unemployed but. . .
So I priced it and found a room in a value resort, with quick service dining for a great price so I caught Pat in a weak moment and he said book it.

So, I am going to Disney!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Up next Welcome to the Disney Reservation Center how can I help you, for the fourth time today?

Why am I doing this blog? oh right because I'm stuffed with fluff!

Well, my wonderful husband decided I needed to do a blog, to give me something to do I think, since I am absolutely Disney obsessed he decided on the name. My nickname is of course pinkyt, and he liked the obvious nod to a certain movie that shall remain nameless but may have something to do with a large Texas town. Ahem!
Anyway, I am a disney freak and I would live there if at all possible. I love disney movies, especially Pixar movies, I love disney world, for goodness sake my kitchen is decorated with winnie the pooh. Unfortuantely, my next disney trip is over 4 months away and I can't wait, I keep stalking the disney website getting quotes for an August girly vacation, just me and Lily, but alas my current financial situation is making that an impossibility.
So my plans with this blog are to be incredibly self indulgent yea, but also to help out other size challenged individuals do disney. I am "pooh sized" (cute term huh?) To be honest I'm acually more like double extra fluffy pooh sized. I am trying to do something about that but, I've learned that even fat people can enjoy disney. Now other amusement parks in Orlando, cough-Universal-cough, are not so friendly to pooh sized individuals but I even have fun there.
So, if you are a disney freak like me, or a pooh sized disney freak like me, read on and enjoy, I shall impart my infinite wisdom to the masses, *said with a voice dripping with sarcasm.

I'm so bored

Can everyone say, I'm bored. I always thought it was the kids who said I'm bored in the summer time. Well, I am so bored I can hardly stand it. I never realized how stimulating it is to work every day. Right now all I do is search for disney stuff on the computer and chauffeur Lily to her activities. Planning a disney vacation is a lot of fun but once you've gone so far, there isn't much else you can do until you get closer. I've gotten so many dinner reservations it isn't even funny. I've made spreadsheet after spreadsheet. So, now what? I've researched a quick August trip for Lily and I a bunch of times, and almost booked it but then decided against it. My checkbook balance wouldn't really tolerate a trip in August and I am loathe to beg for money. Well, kind of but not really, if someone came into my life today and said I'll give you 2,000.00 I would surely book a vacation first thing.

So, I've got to find something else to do. So, I thought I'd bore everyone else with my blog.