Trip Report JenniferS Is Live - 9/7/16 - 9/17/16

Hi, my name is JenniferS, and I am a Disneyholic. I have been accused of being a Pixie Dust snorter. I've been accused of worse, so no biggie.

Once we get home from a Disney trip, I am always in a bit of a funk, and never really up to doing a proper trip report. For those of you who know me, I generally post live over in Chit Chat somewhere. This is my first dedicated live trip report in the actual Trip Report Thread.

The cast:
Me. JenniferS. Just turned 49. Honestly friends, I don't know how that happened. I still feel 27. But, my passport and driver's licence insist I was born in 1967, and I have two 20-something sons, so it must be true.

This is me, on my way to work this morning. All smiles, because this is my last day of work for almost two weeks!

And this is Hubby. He is not on his way to work today, as he has been off work for 6 months. He is 48 years old and this is the first entire summer he has had off since he was 14. In 31 years together, this is only the second time I have seen him with a tan.

Goofy is his favourite character.

And last year, he was obsessed with this over-sized "Stitchie". There was no room in our luggage, but this year, I am determined to buy it for him, and bring it home by any means necessary. Actually, I'm just going to bring our big SouthWest duffel bag, and pay for an extra bag coming home.

This will be our first Disney trip, just the two of us, since 1992!

Okay, that's the Who.
Coming up next - the Where.

 

[JenniferS]

The Where.
Coronado Springs Resort.

These first two pics are not mine. I scoffed them for the Internet. Unless otherwise indicated, all pictures are from previous trips.

If you've never been there, like all Moderate and Deluxe resorts, the grounds are beautiful. I'm not knocking the Values (having stayed at POP six times - for a duration of at least ten days each trip), but there really is a huge jump up from the Values.

This will be our third year in a row staying here.
Our first night, back in 2014, was actually quite comical. CSR is also the Convention Centre. Apparently there was a convention of Filipino priests during our first three days. Hubby is 6' 8" with a typical Irish complexion. Black hair, green eyes, and his only skin colouring is provided by freckles. Needless to say, the only thing he shared in common with the priests was the black hair.

These are some of my shots from Coronado:

 

[Hakunamatata]

Eagerly following along!

 

[JenniferS]

The What.

Arrival day - Wednesday, September 7. Our plane lands at 9:58. After picking up the rental car, and a quick stop at Publix or Walgreen's for bottled water and snacks, we hope to be at CSR by noon.

Disney does not ship bands to Canada, and a summer long threat of a postal strike means they didn't even mail us our booklets. We will be walking up to the desk completely empty handed. (We will be leaving 11 days later with empty pockets, but let's just let that story unfold later, shall we.)

We have always had tremendous luck getting into our room early. Fingers crossed that this year is no exception. I've probably just jinxed myself, but I don't believe in jinxes, so there you go.

Perfect world - room is ready, we grab lunch at Pepper Market, unpack, grab a 45-minute snooze and hit MK before 3:00. I'm hoping to accidentally happen upon the FOF parade, as that is probably the only way I can trick Hubby into seeing it. We are not really parade people, and even less so daytime parade people.

The day will be spent at MK.
FastPasses:
Mine Train - 4:35
Space Mountain - 5:40
Splash Mountain - 6:45

Other attractions will be squeezed in here and there. As long as I get to see Jack (PotC was closed last year) and 999 Happy Haunts, ride the PeopleMover, and maybe see Jack again, my day will be deemed a success. Anything else is just bonus.

For dinner, I am taking Hubby to see his girlfriend:

He is inordinately fond of this gal, but I am a secure wife, so I will risk it.

It is our plan to catch Wishes from the Poly beach, try to check in 20-30 minutes early for dinner, and then walk back to the TTC parking lot to fetch our car.

And that's a wrap for Day 1.

 

[JenniferS]

The What cont'd:
(I'm trying to avoid a wall of text, honestly. I am not fishing for "likes". I do that shamelessly elsewhere.)

Day 2:
MK - in the AM. Rope Drop? I doubt it.
No FP's booked here anyway. There is a tiny chance, depending on how tired we are, that MK morning might be skipped.

Epcot - in the afternoon.
FP's:
Spaceship Earth - 1:55
JII - 3:05
Frozenstrom - 5:00
(So, one legit FP, and two throwaways. Sigh.)

Lunch will probably be at Sunshine Seasons. We loooove the pork chop.

A thousand pardons. You probably want the "before" picture.

Dinner will be at Chefs de France, just after 7:00.
This should get us out in plenty of time for IllumiNations.

Coffee at our favourite waterfront table back at the resort, and that's a wrap for Day 2.

 

[JenniferS]

Day 3.
(Not too busy at work yet, can you tell?)

Epcot - in the AM. Rope drop? Probably. Or pretty close to it anyway.

FP's:
Soarin' - 11:45
Spaceship Earth - 12:45
Mission Space - Green (Hubby won't do Orange anymore. Dramatic sigh this time.) - 2:00

No actual lunch today as dinner is outrageously early. As in 4:30! I'm more likely to eat lunch at this time, but there you have it - the perils of booking ADR's at the 130 day mark vs the 180 mark.

Anyways, back to that outrageous 4:30 ressie time ... Tutto Italia.
While not the same restaurant, this is the same location (and mural from the Original Alfredo's) where we shared our first ever meal in WDW, way back in October of 1991.

Pasta at 4:30 would surely make me sluggish and ugh for the rest of the day, so I am planning on the shrimp risotto. Time will tell if I actually stick to the plan. Hubby, I'm guessing will go for a chicken parm if they offer it (can't remember, because it was never on MY list) or lasagna. That's my bet, anyways.

After dinner, we plan on heading to DHS for EME. This is also the night to see the SW projection show/fireworks thingie. We're not huge fans of Fantasmic, so if we can only catch one or the other, I'd rather be well positioned for the show I haven't seen.

I will miss Frozen, Frozen, Everywhere at DHS. I was in my glory last year. I must have belted out "Let it Go" a dozen times. Plus, the Frozen fireworks were absolutely wonderful!

Other than the SW show, we will be playing DHS by ear. ToT will be ridden. Hopefully multiple times. R'nRC will depend upon how the risotto is sitting.

Late night tonight. Some kind of snack/light meal will be had at DHS at some point.

And that's a wrap for Day 3.

 

[JenniferS]

Day 4 (Saturday the 10th, if you've lost track.)

On my calendar, I have the AM listed as Flex Day. This is JenniferS code for sleep. MK is open until midnight tonight, and I loves me some late night MK. I remember staying at MK until 3:00 AM with the kids a number of years ago - back when EMM was three hours, rather than two.

In case you haven't guessed, our afternoon/evening plans are for MK.

FP's:
Mine Train - 5:10
Splash - 6:25
Space Mountain - 7:55
(Sounds an awful lot like Day 1. Not "awful", of course, as these are our favourites.)

No ADR's anywhere today, so I guess it really is a Flex Day.

 

[JenniferS]

Day 5:

AM - Resort
This is also JenniferS code for sleep in.
The plan is to sleep in, lunch at Pepper Market, swim and then hit AK by 3:00'ish.

FP's:
Expedition Everest - 3:20
FotLK - 5:00 show
Safari - 6:30

Dinner is just after 8:00 at Frontera Cocina. I am very excited to try this. Despite being the person to introduce me to the wonders of WDW, Hubby only comes every year to make me happy and "for the food". I plan our meal experiences 100% with him in mind, and it's nice to mix new places with old favourites.

After dinner, and probably during, he will have a few adult beverages. I don't drink, but I am also too cheap to pay to be listed as an extra driver on the rental car. (You will see mixed messages of extreme frugalness/frugality [Google says both are right] and crazy out-of-control shopaholic.)

Soooo ... this is our Disney Transportation Day.
Bus to AK. Bus to Disney Springs. Bus back to CSR.

 

[JenniferS]

Day 6:

AM - Epcot. Early. Rope Drop? Who knows, although that is the plan. For us, FP+ has eliminated the need to hit rope drop. Our days are much more leisurely. Also, it doesn't hurt that we will be visiting during two of the quietest weeks of the year.

FP's:
Spaceship Earth - 9:35
Turtle Talk - 10:35
Frozenstrom - 11:50

My calendar indicates that I am planning on hitting Soarin' at Rope Drop, and I wouldn't want to argue with my meticulously planned calendar, would I?

I also see a notation that this is Ample Hills day. Hubby loves scooped ice cream. I just love the name Ample Hills.

QS at Epcot, so this means Sunshine Seasons or Kringla in Norway.

The plan is then to hit MK just before 3:00, in case my FoF parade plans did not pan out on the first day.

Rides will be ridden. Attractions/shows will be viewed. Which ones exactly - who knows?

From MK, it is a leisurely walk over to the Contemporary for a 7:00'ish ADR at The Wave. This is our current favourite 1 credit TS restaurant. Oh wait, did I mention that we are doing the DDP. Free. (And yes, I know it's not "free".) And yes, I know that I am the reason that the food has declined so drastically, while prices have escalated so dramatically. How dare I take advantage of a Disney Promotion?!

I dare.

 

[JenniferS]

Day 7:
This is the day where I show you how cheap I am. It's embarrassing really.

AM - DHS
FP's:
ToT - 9:30
Midway Mania - 10:50
Frozen Sing-along - 1:30 show. (As per usual, Hubby will not be joining me. Be sure to drop in to the Tune in Lounge and commiserate with him how nutty his wife is.)

My calendar says we will be watching the March of the First Order at 12:00, followed by the Galaxy Far, Far Away show at 12:30. If that's what the calendar says, then I assume that's where we'll be.

Lunch will be here at DHS, probably at Starring Rolls.

I have a break scheduled for this day (ahem, nap!), and then we are off to Epcot for the evening.

Dinner is early, although I will continue to try to tweak the time, so that is at least after 7:00, at San Angel Inn. We love this place.
Dinner is OOP, which means I will drink water (my preferred beverage anyway) and will skip dessert. Hubby can do/drink whatever he wants. I strive to keep him happy, at all costs.

IllumiNations possibly at 9:00, or Soarin' or standing in line for Frozenstrom. I told you, I'm not over Frozen yet. EME until 11:00, which is probably why I scheduled a nap, umm, I mean "break".

 

[JenniferS]

Day 8:
Our trip is winding down, which is why I have reserved the ADR big guns for last. But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself ....

Wednesday, September 14.
AM - Epcot
This is at least the third time that we are starting off the day at the same park we closed out the night before. It's a scheduling thing. I am bucking Josh's advice by attending the EME park the night before, but following his advice regarding the park the next day. Josh doesn't know I have ParkHopper Passes. Someone really should tell him.

FP's:
Spaceship Earth - 9:50
Frozenstrom - 11:20
Imagination - 12:45

This is the first day of Food & Wine Festival. I am not a fan of F&WF. But for the crowds, Hubby is.

I'm sure he'll have a few libations before dinner at the Yachtsman at 6:40. I'm sure there's a reason I chose to eat this early. *Shrug*

Oh wait, it's EME at MK again. Guess where we'll be. Even better, guess where we start Day 9.

 

[Monty]

Looks fun! I'll be checking in Friday at CSR, but only for one night. I'm boarding the Fantasy on Saturday.

Friday is an EPCOT day for me, maybe we'll see each other at least in passing...

 

[JenniferS]

Alrighty then, Day 9.

AM at, wait for it ... MK. (Thanks for playing along.)

But not until we have brekkie at Kona. Going out on a limb here, but I'm predicting Macadamia Nut Pancakes for me, and the Big Kahuna for Hubby.
Hubby will insist we share a French press pot of Kona coffee. As long as he doesn't think he's getting a $6 glass of juice. (I'm frugal. Can't help it. Nothing without alcohol should cost six bucks. Add in exchange, that's eight bucks!). This meal is OOP.

And lookie here, a different FP!
Peter Pan's Flight - 11:35
Space Mountain - 12:35
Mine Train - 1:40

I think an afternoon break is in order, before heading to Disney Springs. I am beyond excited that I get decent ressies for Chef Art's Homecoming. I'm having the chicken and mashed potatoes. (And then probably a heart attack, but we have good traveller's insurance, so it will all be worth it.)

The rest of the evening is slated for DS. Another "Flex Day" tomorrow AM, so we can stay as late as we like.)

 

[Andrew C]

Nice to meet you Jennifer. It's weird I haven't ran into you around here before.

 

[JenniferS]

Day 10. Gasp, I hate the double digits. It means it's almost time to come home ... and start planning next year's trip.

AM - Flex Day. If we are not overly tired, we may hit DHS in the late AM. I have a decided shortage of Rod Serling and Steven Tyler on my schedule.

Last park day, and late afternoon is scheduled for MK. Hooray, hooray, IaSW reopens today (fingers crossed), but I'm really hoping to catch a soft opening before then.

FP's:
Really shaking things up here.
Haunted Mansion - 3:00
Mine Train - 4:05 (Despite this ride really crushing Hubby's obnoxiously long legs, we've really come to love it.)
PotC - 5:10

Best ressie for last. Narcoossee's at 7:30'ish. I may push this back to half an hour later, but this is also pack up to go home night, so we'll see.)

Magic 8-ball predicts 2-lb Maine lobster for me, Surf 'n Turf for my bigger half.

 

[JenniferS]

And finally Day 11.
No park. No FP's. No fair - it's time to go home.

Probably breakfast at Pepper Market, final shopping day at Disney Springs (have to put something in the SouthWest duffle bag to keep Stitchie company), and then back to the airport for a 4:00 flight home.

That's all really. I'll catch you live in 40 hours or so.

And oh yeah, I forgot to mention, could someone please remind me that I do not care for Kona's sausage. Must order bacon. Must order bacon. Must order bacon.

 

[geebee721]

Have a great trip! Will definitely be following along

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Have a great time! I can't wait for your live reports!

 

[Zipadeelady]

I'm now anxiously awaiting Sept 7th! And I love meeting fellow "Dusters". Have a great time!

 

[Scoppin]

Hi, my name is JenniferS, and I am a Disneyholic. I have been accused of being a Pixie Dust snorter. I've been accused of worse, so no biggie.

Once we get home from a Disney trip, I am always in a bit of a funk, and never really up to doing a proper trip report. For those of you who know me, I generally post live over in Chit Chat somewhere. This is my first dedicated live trip report in the actual Trip Report Thread.

The cast:
Me. JenniferS. Just turned 49. Honestly friends, I don't know how that happened. I still feel 27. But, my passport and driver's licence insist I was born in 1967, and I have two 20-something sons, so it must be true.

This is me, on my way to work this morning. All smiles, because this is my last day of work for almost two weeks!
View attachment 159571

And this is Hubby. He is not on his way to work today, as he has been off work for 6 months. He is 48 years old and this is the first entire summer he has had off since he was 14. In 31 years together, this is only the second time I have seen him with a tan.

Goofy is his favourite character.
View attachment 159572
View attachment 159573

And last year, he was obsessed with this over-sized "Stitchie". There was no room in our luggage, but this year, I am determined to buy it for him, and bring it home by any means necessary. Actually, I'm just going to bring our big SouthWest duffel bag, and pay for an extra bag coming home.

View attachment 159574
View attachment 159575
This will be our first Disney trip, just the two of us, since 1992!

Okay, that's the Who.
Coming up next - the Where.

I know what you mean, my ID states I'm 50 but sure it is mistaken.

You know we are driving there and back. We may have a little extra room for an over-sized 'Stitchie'. The only problem may be getting it away from DD and DS after they get attached to it.