Ronni Loves Disney!: Disney Dreaming

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Disney Dreaming

We just had the mother of blizzards in Chicago. So bad that my job actually closed on Wednesday, and this morning's (non)commute was so stressful that I ended up going back home to warm up. I was so frustrated that I decided to take another day off. My boss told me to write a Disney blog entry, so here I am.

I AM SO READY FOR JUNE, YOU GUYS. Seriously, this morning, I stood on a train platform in 1˚F temperatures for an hour. I am so over the cold and snow, and every day I dream about being in Florida with the sun beating down on me while I nom on a chocolate and M&M covered marshmallow or maybe even a Casey's hotdog. It is that serious, folks.

The past couple of weeks, I went ahead and put the deposit on our Disney trip and extra night at Port Orleans French Quarter, got Adam to book the plane tickets, and made our meal reservations. If you're one of the three regular readers of this blog, you know that I like to try something new every trip. Here are my meal plans for our June trip:

Saturday - Whatever strikes our fancy. We won't be on the meal plan yet, so I figure we can eat at Downtown Disney or even in one of the resort food courts.

Sunday - Liberty Tree Tavern dinner (Of course I had to put in a tried and true favorite!)

Monday - Garden Grill dinner (Always.)

Tuesday - Whispering Canyon Cafe dinner (This is our new place. The menu looks scrumptious, and I hear that you can get into some real shenanigans here!)

Wednesday - Chef Mickey's dinner (I've never done this place for dinner before and I am eager to try the parmesan mashed potatoes.)

I used to follow a certain pattern every single time I went to Disney World. This time, I'm going to be doing things differently. It's just about time for me to eat dinner, so stay tuned for more details. :)

3 comments:

Wendy said...: I know! This weather TOTALLY SUCKS!! I so wish I was sitting outside Casey's munching on hot dogs and Cracker Jack. (I don't care for marshmallows...lol)
We loved Liberty Tree but our new favorite ( and I saw this on your wish list) was Teppan Edo in Japan in Epcot. I am such a picky eater and I was afraid to go there, but it was AWESOME! HIGHLY recommended!! It's not a character dinner, but it's FUN! Oh yeah...and the princess breakfast in Norway. At least 6 princesses!
Waiting for more details....you know I need this! LOL; Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 7:44:00 PM CST
Dara @ Not In Jersey said...: can't wait to hear about it!; Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 8:05:00 PM CST
Unknown said...: I've done the princess place in Epcot for lunch and I enjoyed it, but Adam did NOT like it one bit! (He got something nasty, so it's his own fault.) They gave us free champagne.

Teppan Edo will have to wait for a child-free trip. I don't know if Aidan will go for it. :)

I'll post an update soon. Glad you guys are enjoying my blog. :); Monday, February 7, 2011 at 9:36:00 PM CST

The Disney Freak

My Disney Trips

2001: Walt Disney World (All-Star Music)
This was my very first trip to Disney World. It was also my first time ever flying. There were no digital cameras back then--at least, they were not widely used--so these few pictures are scans from that trip. I also have a scrapbook that I love looking through.

2005: Walt Disney World (All-Star Movies)
This was the first time I took my son to Disney World. He was two. I was worried that he wouldn't get much out of it. Aidan's dad had planned the trip (9 days!) and really, I was freaking out a bit. But Aidan LOVED it. Going to Disney World with a young child is an amazing experience.

2005: Disneyland (offsite)
My friend Amy decided to fly me out to Los Angeles just to hang out. Prior to that meeting, Amy and I had only spoken online and on the phone. We had never met. But she flew me out and took me to Disneyland because I was having some difficult times and she wanted to see me smile. It was an incredible trip because I never thought I'd get to Los Angeles, let alone Disneyland! And I got to spend the day at the parks with someone who was as big of a dork as I was (er, am.)

2008: Walt Disney World (Pop Century)
My new husband Adam and I decided to take our honeymoon at Disney World. It was only after I'd booked the trip that I learned that his parents, in addition to his brother Eli and sister-in-law Melissa, had all taken their honeymoons at Disney World. We *had* to continue the tradition, right? :)

2009: Disneyland (offsite)
Now that Adam's brother and sister-in-law were living in LA, we decided to go and visit them. And while we were out there, why not pop by the ole Disneyland for some good times? Melissa works for ABC Family, which is owned by Disney, so she got us all in for free! I've been to Disneyland twice and haven't had to pay for admission either time! Anyway, we had a really fun time. The weather was pleasant, the food was good, and the crowd level (except for the Tinkerbell line) was excellent.

2009: Walt Disney World (Pop Century)
Freshly back from Disneyland, I landed a lucrative freelance proofreading contract. I was insanely busy, but making great money. Then, Disney sent me an email telling me all about their free dining offer. So, guess what I decided to do? Yup. I booked a trip for Adam, me, and Aidan for Disney World in August of 2009. Again, a great time. Aidan brought tears to our eyes with his excitement over Pluto, Mickey Mouse, and Pinnochio. Going to the parks with a six-year old brings its own share of challenges, but more importantly, it brings its own share of blessings and magic.

2011: Walt Disney World (Port Orleans French Quarter)
Adam and I went back to Disney World in January of 2011. We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter and utilized the free dining offer. We had a great time. Many of Adam's family members were there, so we got to visit with them at various times. The highlights of the trip were meeting Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen, meeting the fairies, eating ourselves stupid at Liberty Tree Tavern, riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad five times, Expedition Everest, and getting hugs from almost ALL the characters! It was truly magical. :) We had such a great time that I sent an email to my travel agent as soon as I got home!

June 2011: Walt Disney World (Port Orleans French Quarter) Adam, Aidan, and I went to Disney World in June of 2011. We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter again, taking advantage of their Kids Play & Stay Free offer. Aidan experienced rides he never had before, or rides that he'd ridden as a two-year old but didn't remember. He really enjoyed Test Track, Mission Space: Green, Soarin', Toy Story Midway Mania, the Hall of Presidents, Star Tours 3D, and Carousel of Progress. His favorite by far, though? Pirates of the Caribbean. I really enjoyed the Magic, Memories, and You Castle show, and Garden Grill outdid itself this time. Good times!

February 2012: Walt Disney World (Port Orleans French Quarter) Oh my God, what? Another Disney trip? AWESOME. Popped down for a short Valentine's Day/get-me-the-hell-out-of-the-Chicago-winter-please trip. This trip was super spectacular. Lots of magical moments, good food, nice people, and mostly great weather that made up for my lost luggage. I'd do it all over again. The highlight of this trip was that Adam and I got to ride a float in Animal Kingdom's Jammin' Jungle Parade. I'm not sure anything will be able to top that, but you can be sure we're going to try!

February 2013: Walt Disney World (Port Orleans French Quarter) We had a great time on this trip. It was another "get the heck out of Chicago before Ronni's SAD gets out of control" and it was a lot of fun! I did a lot of dancing, we ate great food (we were lucky enough to get reservations to Be Our Guest!), and we had pretty nice weather! I was so excited to meet Gaston and Wreck-It Ralph, too. We're so lucky that we can do this every year. :)

June 2013: Walt Disney World (Pop Century) This trip was one of my favorites EVER. I took my mom and Aidan, and my cousin Falandos met us in Orlando. It was my mom's and Falandos's first trip, and they had so much fun. I'd never seen my mom smile like that. Her face on Soarin', when we took off, was the highlight of my trip. We had good food, good laughs, and just a super amazing good time. I'm so glad I was able to take my mommy on this magical trip!

November 2014 (Art of Animation) This trip was with Adam's family! I got to spend more than a week on Disney property, and I got to attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Some of the new things I experienced were Fantasmic (finally!) and Finding Nemo the Musical. It was a nice, long trip, and I felt like I got to do everything I wanted and then some.

June 2015 (Pop Century) Aidan and I took a trip to Disney (and LEGOland, and Daytona, and Jacksonville, and Jekyll Island) during the summer of 2015 and it was epic! Aidan and I both tried new things and enjoyed our old favorites. It was a super amazing trip.

Next trip? August 2016 at Saratoga Springs! My first time staying in a deluxe resort, and I will have three people with me who have never been. SO EXCITED!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Disney Dreaming

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