Tomi-Rocket

That IS crazy! Oh and we are eating at all the same places but I think on different days LOL I also cancelled mama melrose's and went back to my original plan of 50's PT Cafe instead on Thursday.....2 Nights of good Italian (as much as I'd like too haha!) I'll pass on and take the newer Via Napoli on Friday instead!

Giving notice always sucks but hey...this is what you've wanted so GO FOR IT! lol I'm just glad everything worked out for you and now things can pretty much go back to the norm!

I also need to know what time Sunday - it might help if I show up while you are actually AT Chef Mickey's! LOL

WOW you've been busy writing me LOL ok first off -YEAH on the job! I'm SO happy for you. You can finally quit working crazy hours and weekends and work like a normal person - yippee! 2nd THANKS for the 5th person rezzie ha ha! I actually my adr's tonight. I couldn't get Cali Grill Monday eve at ALL (already!) sooo the CM suggested Narcoosee's at the Grand Floridian - outside eating area ON the water with a GREAT view of the castle for fireworks so I'm there at 830 p.m. Monday night. Wednesday 9/21 at Rose & Crown at 7, Mama Melrose Thurs 9/22 at 6 and Via Napoli Fri 9/23 at 7 - yeah! Get to see Wishes, Illuminations TWICE (lol) and Fantasmic so I'm psyched! yeah us! :sohappy:

Congratulations on the new job! It's certainly well deserved. What wore you out so much about Macy's?

Also, congrats on all of the ADR's! And hey at least you got Mama Melrose's, an accomplishment in of itself! We always have tremendous difficultly getting booked there. What restaurant are you most looking forward to eating at?

So glad the party was a success! I know you were a bit worried but you can't go wrong with Big Pie AND Costco chocolate cake which I know is to die for LOL Linds had her friend Savannah sleep over last night (feels like every weekend ha ha!) again...they were too funny. I got her Linds her camcorder so she can be "discovered" LOL - they used it, made corny videos and such then plugged the thing into the 55" projection screen tv and cracked up half the night - so yep I'm tired too!

Have you not seen AKL? I ate at Boma 2 years ago...YUMMY and what a beautiful atmosphere. You'll love it!

One family member of mine had wanted to stay at the Contemporary for years now. Another had serious reservations about staying there, as their memory of it was retro orange-teal/'70s colors. Thankfully, showing that family member pictures of the new rooms quelled her fears. :lol:

Interesting about your decision about Yachtsman Steakhouse...I wonder if it'll be worth it. We avoided Le Cellier because it would have been our fourth sit-down meal in EPCOT, which is a bit much. We really wanted to try new places while retaining our favorites.

Very glad to hear about Boma! I think this will be a decision you don't regret.

Usually we do calling, but this time we did it online, which wound up being very convenient. But having a person on the phone with you is definitely a plus. Last year we made the mistake of making dining reservations way too late, so we didn't get a few of the things we wanted. Right now, I'm just worried about making reservations for Fantasmic! dining package.Hopefully they release the September shows soon.

I have to tell you...when we start getting stuff in the mail for Disney, like Magical Express tags or brochures, I REALLY get excited. My whole household catches on, too. I guess that's the result of a company that tries to invest in its customers' experience.

I'll let you know the rest of the details when we book for the September dates (which Disney doesn't let you do yet). Now we're all very excited!

Ah, and here's the good news- today we are OFFICIALLY booked for August 28-September 3rd! It took some complications and last-minute decisions, but here's the low-down:

- Using the room/MYW discount, we brought down the cost of a Magic Kingdom-View room from $445 to a much more reasonable $308- saving us over a thousand dollars by the time the discounts were applied. The online reservations were a bit confusing, but we got it.

- We haven't booked our flight yet, which I'm most worried about.

- We had to make quite a few changes to our dining plan. We decided to eat at San Angel Inn again. It's a bit of a tradition for us, so I'm glad to see it on our ADR's again. We'll be eating there the night we arrive. We also decided to eat at the Yachtsman Steakhouse. I would have liked Le Cellier, but my family didn't want to have a fourth meal in EPCOT.

- My family didn't like the menus to Flying Fish, Kouzzina, or Sanaa- so all three are out unfortunately.

Tonight may be my first shot at 8+ hours of sleep in the past two weeks. Let's hope I don't screw it up!

Don't worry, I don't judge people who like characters LOL. They're very popular characters and I always like seeing them. Our family just doesn't do the character experience. We're a particularly reserved, I dare say shy, family. We enjoy attractions and each other more than characters, which is why we've only done one character greet in our years of visiting, but that's just us.

I really hope you guys get to eat at Boma, if it works out. I just wish there was enough time and money to go 'round for folks like us to have a stay at each hotel. That'd be truly fantastic. This visit, I'm hoping to take some time and explore/photograph the other monorail resorts.

Wish Tristan a happy birthday for me! His party sounds like a blast. What kind of cake is it, and let me know if he is surprised by the Kindle!

ha ha it NEVER hurts to try and do them early - besides it only takes a call and besides calls....WOW at Lewis huh? That would be GREAT! ASP is still a job...and it does get your foot in the door which is what you ultimately want anyways so stay persistent I say! BEST of luck on that!

Happy 14th to Tristan! Sounds like a fun party and heck...who ever turns down pizza, cake AND xbox ha ha ha!

Doing the house showing again this weekend...BOTH days cha ching! LOL every little bit counts....it's only 12-5 so at least I have the evenings with the child...not that she talks to me but you know LOL

Keep on plugging. Something will come up eventually! They say the best time to find a job is when you have one!! YEAH for paying off the trip! I actually DID cancel my QS dining. I sat down and figured out my dining (I look at the pricing on Allears.net) and I save $112 give or take a couple bucks just paying out of pocket! So now I owe $200 less then earlier today ha ha! And please don't forget to add me to the Sunday Night rezzie at Chef Mickey's - I'm looking forward to paying out every cent of that meals just for the good food and friends meeting! Other than that, work is SLAMMED and that means so am I lol Don't forget your ADR's are Monday honey!! Mine are Tuesday...yeah yeah yeah!

Breakfast at Ohana is a character meal, correct? I've really wanted to try breakfast at the Kona Cafe...so many places but so little time! If you want to see the Animal Kingdom Lodge, I'd suggest going after your day at the AK...just take a bus over there (a five minute ride) and then when you're done looking around (there's a lot to see), just take abus to the Magic Kingdom so you can head back to the Poly.

The funny thing is that last night I never went to sleep. Usually I have no problem falling asleep, but I spent all of six hours last night struggling to go to sleep (which never happend). It killed me today! LOL. They should have naptimes throughout the day, regardless of occupation, education, or anything like that - everyone could use a good siesta (like they have in Mexico).

That's the thing about Chinese food- it's different practically everywhere you go. Hopefully our experience will be good, though it looks expensive.

I have some reservations (no pun intended) about Brown Derby (though it's my second time eating there). I want to go over the menu with my family to see if it's really feasible.

We're eating at Ohana for dinner. We avoid character dining like the plague, and the dinner sounds like a lot of fun. The price doesn't seem too bad, either!

Well, I guess it looks like we're scrapping Garden Grill and Coral Reef in favor of Sanaa at the Animal Kingdom Lodge DVC. I consistently hear good things about it, so I'm trying to convince my family to eat there. (Plus, we love the Animal Kingdom Lodge.)

So my "short list" of WDW restaurants is a lot shorter than I had thought...

Nine Dragons (first time)
San Angel Inn (or Hacienda) (a bit of an annual tradition, though on the endangered list for this trip)
Brown Derby (for Fantasmic Dining Package)
'Ohana (first time)
Garden Grill or Coral Reef
The Wave (no ADR since we're staying at the Contemporary)
Via Napoli (second time)

That's just ridiculous! How could they simply table an issue like that? It really makes me wonder who's pulling the strings here.

From what I've read, it looks like they had a minute's worth of notice before the earthquake, but to be honest I don't think that'd be any consolation for me! What a catastrophe. At least an earthquake now typically means one won't happen for a long time, at least I hope so.

That's what I was thinking! The family member is in their 40's and expecting twins (due in August/September), so the obstetrician is not letting her on a plane after May (the vacation was to be in June). As you can imagine, the happiness of two new babies in the family is a bit subdued since I was so excited to head to France, and then I hear this! LOL

well as we both know..the whole thing is now officially tabled. Or that's what I heard last anyways. Guess the fighting is over for now - kinda sucks though because I know lots of people that had prepaid vacations that will NOT take their kids out of school that week so they are losing some money...oh well. We voted them in - let's vote them out! LOL

Beautiful weekend! Too bad I was locked up Sat. and Sun. showing the house but hey $100 is $100 so I'll sit inside, read and occasionally show the house when someone shows up for the open house - no problem with that here! LOL

Hope you are having a good week. I'm guessing you are working a lot. It's back to the normal grind for me tomorrow - Monday is payroll day ....so let the phone calls to techs who forgot to turn in their timesheets commence! ha ha ha!

If you have any spare time at DTD, definitely check out Wolfgang Puck at West Side or Wolfgang Puck Express in the Marketplace. We were very impressed by the (Gosh, I didn't realize how many restaurants are in Downtown Disney!)

Did the school board overturn the vote or were there not enough votes to change the issue? I don't know how bad decisions like that get through.

I was shocked when I heard about the earthquake...I had no idea it was this bad...and the tsunami too. That must be so frightening for all of the people there- they're in our prayers. Did you see the pictures of the whirlpool? That was sheerly incredible, despite the amount of destruction.

On a similar note, our trip to France/DLP has been indefinitely postponed due to...of all things...a pregnancy in the family. Needless to say, we're a bit disappointed.

Does Earl have build your own sandwiches or paninis? I'm a sucker for a good panini. Have you eaten anywhere else at DTD?

How did the vote go? I hope they listen to the majority on this one...

newer update....we are doomed. the tabled the issue and kept is like they voted it a few weeks ago...so much for the people! lol see below...
Posted: 6:04 am EST March 9, 2011Updated: 12:13 pm EST March 9, 2011
MARIETTA, Ga. -- Cobb County parents have lost their battle over a school calendar controversy.
The Cobb County School Board addressed the debate between two calendar plans at a meeting Wednesday morning at the board’s headquarters in Marietta. The board decided to table the issue and uphold its vote for the traditional calendar plan that parents were fighting against.

UPDATE straight from WSB:
MARIETTA, Ga. -- The school calendar fight in Cobb County rages on.The Cobb County School Board will address the debate between two calendar plans at a meeting Wednesday morning at the board’s headquarters in Marietta. The meeting comes just a few hours after close to 200 people squared off with a board member to debate the issue Tuesday night.While at the town hall meeting, Channel 2's Erica Byfield also learned a team of parents and teachers were asking the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to get involved in the discussion.