Pre-Trip A first, a last, and a galaxy far, far, away... (Now with bonus London TR!)

BEE IS GOING BACK! BEE IS GOING BACK! BEE IS GOING BACK! ​

So, this title might be a bit misleading. There are actually several firsts planned for this trip, and a semi-first. But "A first, another first, yet another first, a sorta first, and a last" doesn't roll off the tongue (or fingertips) so well.

For now, I'll leave you with the cast.

Me (Bee): 30
DW (M): 30
M's mom (MIL)
M's dad (FIL)
M's brother (BIL): 27
My brother (Jay): 24

And a countdown!
Our next trip  

EDIT: Now we're doing a Passholder preview and going down early for two nights, then flying home, then proceeding with our regular trip as planned. So, here's THAT countdown:
CRAZY PEOPLE DO A PASSHOLDER PREVIEW  

 

[bee]

Day 5: Les Halles, probably

Quiches florentines!

Ale and Compass (photos not mine!)

Buffalo cauliflower

Protein bowl

Veggie burger

 

[LadyBelle]

I haven't been able to get any on the app. I've been using this link in a browser window: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/hollywood-studios/ogas-cantina/

Thanks for the link. No luck thus far, but I’ll keep trying.

 

[dizfan917]

Don't forget you'll bee EATING AROUND THE WORLD, as well!!

 

[bee]

Thanks for the link. No luck thus far, but I’ll keep trying. ☺

May the Force be with you!!

Don't forget you'll bee EATING AROUND THE WORLD, as well!!

Don't worry, I could NEVER forget!

 

[bee]

Day 6 (and 7, probably)

Docking Bay 7 (Photos not mine, obviously)

Felucian Garden Spread

Batuu-Bon

FOOD AND WINE!!!!!!! (Some have no photos because they are new. Photos not mine)

Africa
Spicy Kenyan Vegan Githeri with White Beans, Pigeon Peas, Curry Rice Pilaf and Kachumbari Slaw (V)
Wine flight!!!

The Alps

Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese with Baby Potatoes, Cornichons and Baguette (V)

Belgium

WAFFLES

Brazil

Pão de Queijo (V)

Caipirinha

Cheese Studio
Black Pepper Boursin® Soufflé with Fig Marmalade (V)

Earth Eats

Impossible Slider (V)

India
Disclaimer: We weren't that impressed with India's offerings in 2017. But we'll give them another shot.

Madras Red Curry with Roasted Cauliflower, Baby Carrots, Chickpeas and Uncle Ben’s® Basmati Rice (V)

Ireland

Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip with Irish Brown Bread (V)

Wine and Dine Studio

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Vinaigrette, Parmesan Cheese and Pumpkin Seeds (V)

Trio of Artisan Cheese (V)

 

[dizfan917]

OMG... SO MUCH CHEESE will be eaten!! That Raclette Swiss looks SO good! Too bad there's some meat in that Nudelsomethingorother dish in Germany - it is so tasty, I'm thinking about it already!!

 

[Swissmiss]

Raclette is very good - and I’m always happy to eat it in a restaurant or in someone else’s home

Though I like fondue with potatoes even more

 

[bee]

OMG... SO MUCH CHEESE will be eaten!! That Raclette Swiss looks SO good! Too bad there's some meat in that Nudelsomethingorother dish in Germany - it is so tasty, I'm thinking about it already!!

SO! MUCH! CHEESE!

That's okay, Biergarten has Nudel gratin (same thing but without meat), and so does Sommerfest!

Raclette is very good - and I’m always happy to eat it in a restaurant or in someone else’s home

Though I like fondue with potatoes even more

I've never had Raclette, so I'm excited to try it! I could go for some fondue any time...

 

[NessNewt]

That food all looks amazing. Now I'm super hungry and drooling on my screen!

 

[bee]

This time next week we'll be on our way to or arriving at ASSp! We'll check in, leave our bags, take the bus to Epcot, activate our APs, buy our Tables in Wonderland card, and hang out at Epcot for awhile. Then we will make our way over to Hollywood Studios for STAR WARS TIME!!!!!

And some more BIG TRIP news...BIL's friend might be joining us for the first day, so we might end up with seven people all on the same FPs! He has a ticket already so I've been texting back and forth with BIL to try to get everything in MDE so I can add him to our FPs.

EDIT: His friend is officially joining us and he's on our Day 1 FPs! Party of 7 here we come!! I think I'll call him F (for friend) because there are just toooo many people with the same initials in this report!

And in yet more BIG TRIP news, we're going to be doing yet another FIRST this trip. You'll have to read the full TR to find out what!

 

[bee]

It's the single digit dance day!!!

Actual footage of me and M getting ready for this trip​

Today and tomorrow I have to get serious about packing! I'm trying not to have too much clothing overlap between the small trip and the big trip so I don't have to scramble toooo much next Friday to get all the laundry and packing done. Luckily I've had a pretty light summer schedule so I've been able to do a little bit of packing at a time.

Our last pre-trip Disney Visa statement came out today and we have $296 in Disney Dollars! Woohoo! Between that and the $1000 gift cards I bought from Target (at 5% off) we should have all or most of our food and souvenirs covered for both trips!

I've been going on my runs during the hotter parts of the day, hoping to prepare myself a bit for Disney weather.

In somewhat related news, last night I applied for and was approved for the Marriott Bonvoy Bold card, which earns Marriott points and will likely mean a free Swolphin stay in our future!

 

[DisneyGigi]

It's the single digit dance day!!!

Actual footage of me and M getting ready for this trip​

Today and tomorrow I have to get serious about packing! I'm trying not to have too much clothing overlap between the small trip and the big trip so I don't have to scramble toooo much next Friday to get all the laundry and packing done. Luckily I've had a pretty light summer schedule so I've been able to do a little bit of packing at a time.

Our last pre-trip Disney Visa statement came out today and we have $296 in Disney Dollars! Woohoo! Between that and the $1000 gift cards I bought from Target (at 5% off) we should have all or most of our food and souvenirs covered for both trips!

I've been going on my runs during the hotter parts of the day, hoping to prepare myself a bit for Disney weather.

In somewhat related news, last night I applied for and was approved for the Marriott Bonvoy Bold card, which earns Marriott points and will likely mean a free Swolphin stay in our future!

I think I must kinda cheat on my countdown. I don’t count today as a day since it is under 24 hours.
And I 100 percent hear ya on the heat. It is the only thing I dread. August is brutal down there!
Happy Single Digit Dance day!

 

[Rista1313]

It's the single digit dance day!!!

Actual footage of me and M getting ready for this trip​

Today and tomorrow I have to get serious about packing! I'm trying not to have too much clothing overlap between the small trip and the big trip so I don't have to scramble toooo much next Friday to get all the laundry and packing done. Luckily I've had a pretty light summer schedule so I've been able to do a little bit of packing at a time.

Our last pre-trip Disney Visa statement came out today and we have $296 in Disney Dollars! Woohoo! Between that and the $1000 gift cards I bought from Target (at 5% off) we should have all or most of our food and souvenirs covered for both trips!

I've been going on my runs during the hotter parts of the day, hoping to prepare myself a bit for Disney weather.

In somewhat related news, last night I applied for and was approved for the Marriott Bonvoy Bold card, which earns Marriott points and will likely mean a free Swolphin stay in our future!

Nice!

I use a Southwest card... I usually get around 1-2 free round trip flights a year. I could put more on there... but I try to be ultra careful that I can pay it off immediately. We got out of debt about 3 years ago, and I NEVER want to go back in!

 

[bee]

I think I must kinda cheat on my countdown. I don’t count today as a day since it is under 24 hours.
And I 100 percent hear ya on the heat. It is the only thing I dread. August is brutal down there!
Happy Single Digit Dance day!

Happy Single Digit Dance (or post-Single Digit Dance) day to you too!

Nice!

I use a Southwest card... I usually get around 1-2 free round trip flights a year. I could put more on there... but I try to be ultra careful that I can pay it off immediately. We got out of debt about 3 years ago, and I NEVER want to go back in!

I have considered the Southwest Card several times, but the annual fee always prevents me from applying. This Marriott card doesn't have one, and while it earns slightly fewer points than the Marriott card that does have a fee, I think we'll still come out better by NOT having the annual fee.

I am totally with you about paying off credit card balances immediately! No points/rewards program is actually beneficial if you're paying interest every month. After we both finished grad school we ended up with a large amount of credit card debt, and ended up taking out a personal loan to pay it all off. We finally finished paying that off and we are very happy to be debt free (except for my student loans). We always pay all of our credit cards in full monthly, and we actually pay our main credit card that we use for everyday expenses twice a month so we aren't tempted to overspend!

 

[Rista1313]

I have considered the Southwest Card several times, but the annual fee always prevents me from applying. This Marriott card doesn't have one, and while it earns slightly fewer points than the Marriott card that does have a fee, I think we'll still come out better by NOT having the annual fee.

I am totally with you about paying off credit card balances immediately! No points/rewards program is actually beneficial if you're paying interest every month. After we both finished grad school we ended up with a large amount of credit card debt, and ended up taking out a personal loan to pay it all off. We finally finished paying that off and we are very happy to be debt free (except for my student loans). We always pay all of our credit cards in full monthly, and we actually pay our main credit card that we use for everyday expenses twice a month so we aren't tempted to overspend!

That's the way to go. I agree I don't like the annual fee... but the free flights always outweigh that for me. But I'm like you.. sometimes I pay it twice a month (each time I get paid) so that things stay flush!

 

[Tiggertoo56]

One of my work colleagues came in this morning with these OMG nails! Thought you may like to see them @bee
They are fantastic.

 

[Swissmiss]

Are they painted or decals? Years ago the woman who did my nails would sometimes paint flowers on them; if I recall correctly, she used a toothpick to paint them.

 

[Tiggertoo56]

Are they painted or decals? Years ago the woman who did my nails would sometimes paint flowers on them; if I recall correctly, she used a toothpick to paint them.

Painted - it took her about 3 hours apparently. She has the done every few weeks and we get a surprise each time
Last time was flamingos and the time before was Mickey & Minnie! But I didn't get chance to take photo.

 

[Swissmiss]

Painted - it took her about 3 hours apparently. She has the done every few weeks and we get a surprise each time
Last time was flamingos and the time before was Mickey & Minnie! But I didn't get chance to take photo.

Wow - that’s really amazing, I am always so impressed not only at the artistic side of this, but how incredibly steady the person’s hand has to be ! Thanks for sharing with us

 

[bee]

View attachment 398536
One of my work colleagues came in this morning with these OMG nails! Thought you may like to see them @bee
They are fantastic.

Thanks for sharing! I always keep my nails short but I would totally try some black and yellow stripes!