What better place to celebrate 20 magical years?? A July/19 anniversary PTR! Link to new TR 07/13

suse66

When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true!
Joined
Sep 3, 2008
The story comes alive, when we look inside
A new adventure there in your life
There in your eyes
It's just beginning
Feel your heart beat faster
Reach out and find your happily ever after.....

Here we are almost twenty years later, ready to celebrate all the ups, downs and inbetweens of our happily ever after! And what better place to do so than our happy place!
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So, who are we???
Me: I'm Susan.....lover of all things Disney, especially solo trips! I love to collect Disney Pandora charms and have a small (but growing) collection of Disney Dooney bags! My first Disney trip was 10 years ago and I thought it would be an once and done. Then I fell head over heels in love with all that Disney had to offer and immediately began planning our next trip before we even left!
* Favourite ride: Haunted Mansion
* Favourite park: Magic Kingdom (but pretty much tied with Epcot!)
* Favourite resort: Yacht Club and Animal Kingdom Lodge
* Favourite restaurant: Narcoosees
DH: Bill first visited Disney in 1973 at the age of 11! Staying at the Contemporary and hanging out at Magic Kingdom cemented a life long love of Disney Parks. Bill has been to Tokyo Disney in the days before Disney Sea and we really hope to get back there one day. He had to convince me to go to Disney our first trip, little knowing that he would create a life long Disney Addict!
* Favourite ride: Jungle Cruise
* Favourite park: Magic Kingdom
* Favourite resort: Polynesian
* Favourite restaurant: O'hana

We are proud parents of three young men who will be holding down the fort at home this summer while their parents run away to Disney. We are also crazy cat obsessed owners (I mean staff) of these two cuties.
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When are we going??? In exactly 179 days! We leave July 2nd and are staying for 10 days! So we will be there in the crazy heat and crowds of early July but I am confident that with a good touring plan and lots of pool/chill time, it will be amazing!

Stay tuned for resort details coming soon!
 
I’m in, excited to hear about the upcoming Anniversary trip!

Let’s hope you luck out and enjoy low crowds like the last 2 July’s!
 
Following along. Popped over from your TR. I also like solo trips- the freedom to do what you want when you want : ). Going back in sept .
:welcome:Glad you popped over! It's actually going to be a bit weird this trip as I will have to think about what my DH would like. I have been used to just organizing everything to my tastes, lol!

I’m in, excited to hear about the upcoming Anniversary trip!

Let’s hope you luck out and enjoy low crowds like the last 2 July’s!
:welcome:Happy you are here, Caroline! It would be amazing if the crowd levels were like they were last summer. :)
 
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So, where are we staying????
We debated long and hard about resorts for this trip.....Yacht Club, Wilderness Lodge, the Polynesian, Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Grand were all up for consideration. We looked at AP discounts (minimal), free dining, the new room only discount and renting DVC points. Ultimately renting points proved to be the best bang for our buck and we ended up saving $1500 USD over Disney's best promotion. We narrowed it down to two resorts; my favourite spot and Bill's dream resort. It was almost impossible to pick one over the other so we decided to have the best of both worlds and do both! With nine nights to play with, we felt as though it would be like two separate vacations.

July 2nd through July 6th will be at Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas ~ Jambo House!!
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I stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge for my solo trip in 2017 and absolutely loved it! It felt like a little oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the parks. I loved the lobby, the pool, the CMs, the grounds, restaurants and lounge. Yes, I was hooked! I am so excited to share this lovely resort with my DH!

July 6th through July 11th will be spent at the gorgeous Copper Creek Villas at Wilderness Lodge!

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Bill has had Wilderness Lodge at the top of his list for a potential stay since the first time we ate at Whispering Canyon Cafe back in 2010. It was never in the cards for us on our family trips as the rooms only sleep 4. I promised not to stay there on any of my solo trips as I really wanted us to experience the resort together. So we are both so excited to have five nights there together on our anniversary trip!

Our ADR date is tomorrow so I'll be back soon to share dining plans!
 


ooh i've always wanted to stay at AKL! also wilderness lodge is my favorite resort!! you're going to have so much fun! i can't wait to hear about all your plans :flower1:
 
Following along. My hubby and I will be at Wilderness Lodge in September and I can't wait. I too fell in love with the idea of staying there when we ate at Whispering Canyon Cafe in 2008. Now it will be a reality for our 25th wedding anniversary trip.
 
ooh i've always wanted stay at AKL! also wilderness lodge is my favorite resort!! you're going to have so much fun! i can't wait to hear about all your plans :flower1:
:welcome:thank you for joining in!!

Following along. My hubby and I will be at Wilderness Lodge in September and I can't wait. I too fell in love with the idea of staying there when we ate at Whispering Canyon Cafe in 2008. Now it will be a reality for our 25th wedding anniversary trip.
:welcome:Happy trip planning for your special anniversary! I am sure you two are as excited as we are to be staying at the lodge! :love:
 
ADRs are made!!!!

Of course my first day back to school after the holidays was our ADR day and I couldn't get online until recess after 10. I had a few special reservations that I really wanted so I felt a bit nervous but all was well!

Without further ado, here they are.....

Arrival day late lunch at Sanaa! Bread service.....mmmmmm! I can't wait!
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An Ohana dinner has always been a family favourite and we have this on the list for day 2 before heading to Magic Kingdom for the evening! Just give me ALL the bread pudding!
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We adore Yak and Yeti, (hello Yak Attacks!) so that is a must do for our Animal Kingdom day on the 4th of July!
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Our next must do is breakast at Boma!!! I enjoyed this so much back in 2017 and can't wait to introduce Bill to all the deliciousness a Boma breakfast has to offer!
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Saturday is our resort change day and I really couldn't think of anything more fun then going to check out the Hoop Dee Doo Revue before settling into our villa at Copper Creek!

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I have been seduced by reading awesome reviews from @kastoney, @Steppesister and @chunkymonkey about the decadence of brunch at California Grill! So this was a top priority for me and I was thrilled to get a reservation on July 7th! Unlimited mimosas are calling my name!
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The creme de la creme of all Disney dining is reserved for July 9th. Yes, we are celebrating my darling husband's 57th birthday and our 20th wedding anniversary at Victoria and Albert's!!!!!!
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We first dined at V&A's back in 2010 and are SO excited to experience it again!!

Here is a little pic of yours truly, skipping happily along the beach back to the Poly after one of the best meals of her life!
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Hmmm, I will have to step up my game to look that glamorous nine years later...lol!

We are waiting until we make our FP selections to make in park choices but a few must do's will be;
50's Prime Time
Skippers Canteen
Geyser Point
Baseline Tap House
Morimoto Asia
Polite Pig
Nomad Lounge
Satuli Canteen
etc etc
Plus many yummy snacks and beverages!

Day 1 plans are next!
 
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Oh man all those meals look fabulous! I'm eating at all of those places this year! Hehe, except for V&A but you never know. :)
Speaking of which, that is a gorgeous pic of you on the beach at GF!! You will have no problem looking just as good this time around. :)
 
Hi Susan!!!! Your anniversary trip sounds like it is shaping up amazingly. Love the idea of staying at both resorts. And unsurprisingly they are my two favorites. If you love AKL you will so love WL. Both feel miles away from everything yet right in the middle of everything.

Your ADRs are making me so hungry!!!! I'm so excited for you to try CG brunch. You are so going to love it. And V&A too!
 
Oh man all those meals look fabulous! I'm eating at all of those places this year! Hehe, except for V&A but you never know. :)
Speaking of which, that is a gorgeous pic of you on the beach at GF!! You will have no problem looking just as good this time around. :)
Thanks Su-lyn!I am so excited for this trip! I keep thinking of things I want to try and add them to the list....10 days is just not going to be long enough to do everything!

Joining in! How wonderful to be celebrating such a special anniversary at the Happiest Place on Earth! :love:
Glad to have you along! We are so excited for this trip!

Hi Susan!!!! Your anniversary trip sounds like it is shaping up amazingly. Love the idea of staying at both resorts. And unsurprisingly they are my two favorites. If you love AKL you will so love WL. Both feel miles away from everything yet right in the middle of everything.

Your ADRs are making me so hungry!!!! I'm so excited for you to try CG brunch. You are so going to love it. And V&A too!
Thanks Kari! I can't wait to be back to AKL and to try WL for the first time. I am literally counting the days until CG brunch....it is going to be awesome!! V&A's will be awesome too but the cost has gone up SO much since 2010!! Oh well, a 20th anniversary doesn't come around every day so you might as well indulge!

Looks like it's gonna be an amazing trip. Love both resorts and your adr's look great.
Thanks for joining in! We are so looking forward to this trip! :)
 
Mmm, Sanaa!!! I haven't gotten to that review on my TR, but have loved it the times I've been. Such a lovely meal!

OHHHH, V&As!!! WOW, wow, wow!! Kinda jelly right now. I'd love to go back again. :love::love::love::love:

Gorgeous photo of you!! So elegant!

So glad my review got you more excited for the Brunch. :) I hope maybe we'll be seated near each other and can chat some!! :hug:
 
Mmm, Sanaa!!! I haven't gotten to that review on my TR, but have loved it the times I've been. Such a lovely meal!

OHHHH, V&As!!! WOW, wow, wow!! Kinda jelly right now. I'd love to go back again. :love::love::love::love:

Gorgeous photo of you!! So elegant!

So glad my review got you more excited for the Brunch. :) I hope maybe we'll be seated near each other and can chat some!! :hug:

Thanks Liesa! We cannot wait to go back to V&A's! Keep your fingers crossed for a healthy Canadian dollar... we are currently trading at about 75 cents to each American dollar which makes a pricey meal even more so. But if you can't splurge on your 20th wedding anniversary, when can you???

Unfortunately, my CG brunch reservation is for July 7th not the Epic Girls weekend. :( I am still hoping that there is a chance I may be able to get there though. Right now the cheapest flight I can find is $680 and then hotel at $257 USD per night plus spending $$. It's not looking great. I am looking into DVC points and am keeping a close eye on flight prices. Fingers crossed! If the stars do align, it would be great to sit close by and chat. I have the feeling we would get along very well! :)
 
Joining in! Your trip sounds great!

DH and I are booked for 8/29-9/7 and will be celebrating our 25th anniversary. Ours is more of a budget trip, but that's okay! Staying at POP with free QSDP. Hoping to do some extras like MNSSHP and DAH.
 
Joining in! Your trip sounds great!

DH and I are booked for 8/29-9/7 and will be celebrating our 25th anniversary. Ours is more of a budget trip, but that's okay! Staying at POP with free QSDP. Hoping to do some extras like MNSSHP and DAH.
:welcome:Thanks so much for joining in! Your trip sounds wonderful! These special anniversaries are so important to celebrate. :) Pop is super fun and cute, especially with the newly renovated rooms! Have you done MNSSHP before?? It is so fun and a great chance to dress up! I really enjoyed it when I went back in 2017. The Boo to You parade was so great! And DAH will be awesome! We are planning on adding on KTTK and are so excited about it.:goodvibes
 

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