After All The Hype...

I'm glad that's over!

My body has gotten used to sleep.Three restless hours was not enough. I did not dare take my usual medicines for fear I would sleep too late, so instead I barely slept at all. The cat and I made it until 4 am and then we gave up pretending. One hour to go. I was beside myself. All for dinner reservations mind you!

Finally at 4:45 I went upstairs searching for Jim, who was suppose to be waking me up. He was on his way down but I was impatient.

We both got logged on and I tracked down my credit card. I knew I had taken any of the reservations that might require a credit card to hold them. Jim found a few minutes to tend his farm and check his mafia :) I reminded him that he really couldn't do that once he started making reservations. He told me he loved me :)

I sat on my air bed with my laptop, my stack of cards with the reservations I wanted on them, my credit card, a pen, and my Mickey stocking cap. The last few minutes before 5:00, I gave Jim a countdown which I think he appreciated greatly.

Finally, 5:00 hit and we both hit "Search for a Table." We both got error messages. I remembered reset happens at 5:00 and we needed to try at 5:01. Success!!!

Jim got Le Cellier and I got ... Cinderella's Royal Table! This was a biggie I needed to do first and it required a credit card. They don't actually charge your card unless you are a no-show. Making reservations and not showing up is VERY common in Disney but certain places like CRT require a hold to limit this from happening. I think more should. Why is CRT special? This is a character meal but more important than that it is one of the only ways to get inside Cinderellas Castle at Disney World. I'm not even sure how much I'll eat here but I have to go!

After that kind of start I felt confident. I ran into only two bumps along the way. Both were things that I think are not in the computer system yet so I'm hopeful. Overall I think we have 22 of our 26 reservations made. That's not bad!

For anyone who cares, here's what all my insanity has lead to(bold need reservations yet):

• 6/29- 2:00p.m. House of Blues(no reservation needed)
• 6/29- 8:40p.m. Artist Point
• 6/30- 8:00a.m. Tusker House
• 6/30- 8:30p.m. Yachtsman Steakhouse
• 7/1- 8:10a.m. Akershus Princess Storybook Dining
• 7/1- 1:50p.m. LeCellier
• 7/1- 7:00p.m. Restaurant Marrakesh
• 7/2- 7:30a.m. Cape May Cafe
• 7/2- 7:00p.m. Jiko
• 7/3- 8:05a.m. Crystal Palace
• 7/3- 5:15p.m. The Plaza
• 7/3- 9:00p.m. Wishes Dessert Party
• 7/4- 11:30a.m. Hollywood Brown Derby Dine with an Imagineer
• 7/4- 5:30 Hollywood &Vine Fantasmic
• 7/5- 7:30a.m. Ohana's 
• 7/5- 7:05p.m. Narcoossee's
• 7/6- 7:30a.m. Boma
• 7/6- 12:00p.m. Teppan Edo
• 7/6- 8:30p.m. Via Napoli
• 7/7- 8:05a.m. Cinderella's Royal Table
• 7/7- 1:00p.m. Kona Cafe
• 7/7- 7:50p.m. California Grill
• 7/8- 7:00a.m.Chef Mickey
• 7/8- 1:30p.m. LeCellier
• 7/9- 7:30a.m. Boma
• 7/9- 11:30a.m. House of Blues(no reservation needed)

If you'd like to see what we might be having to eat at any of these wonderful restaurants, I have links to all of the menu below. Just click on the restaurant name.

I'm sure there is a next step. I am far too tired to know what it is. I'll  be in touch :)

Disney Emily says...

We have a reservation number. Our down-payment  is paid in full and I can make ADRs to my little hearts content! I am finalizing my gameplan... Then I'll let you know. I'm so excited!!! (I did however on the way to my Milwaukee doctor's appt. yesterday tell Jim he could take us directly to the airport and I would try just winging it too! Don't know how I thought I'd sit on an airplane let alone a roller coaster but I'd try!)

The Moment We've All Been Waiting For (OK, Well Only Me)

JULY PARK TIMES ARE OUT!!!
Do you have any idea what this means?
I can actually plan my trip and make sure the ADR's I put in place six months ago are going to work! This is huge. Besides setting the ADRs and going on the trip this is the next biggest thing there is.
I have to have surgery tomorrow and now I'm so dang hyper I don't know how I'll sleep. I really need to at the very least go print the park calendars so I can look at them in the car.
Sorry for cutting this short, but I have work to do. I'll have plenty to update you on very soon!

I will try for fewer exclamation points in my next post as well. I apologize!!!

Closing the Loop

Great time for Disney to figure out computers- NOT! For a while not this little gap existed that if you were staying on site you could actually book your ADRs (Advanced Dining Reservations each morning online starting at 190 days instead of 180 days. I have had my plans set for months as some of you know.
Well at the end of November and beginning of December, Disney did some needed upgrades to their computer system. It has however, ELIMINATED MY LOOP!

This means I am stuck making ADRs on December 31st. So is Jim.  This makes me nervous because I feel less confident that I will get everything I want, when I want it. . Between now and the 31st when pain allows, I have to come up with a plan about who asks for what on the computer and who asks for what on the phone. I will have to take Jim through some trainings on the computer so he knows what to expect. ADR boot camp if you will. It will have to be very fluid that morning because everything will depend of when we get Cinderella's Royal Table. This should be very interesting for our first attempt at this.Since 2011 is going to be our year I have no doubt it will go great!

Now I'm getting nervous...

I try not to be a negative thinker but I'll admit I do a lot better with that when I'm in Orlando! Here's my current concern: I think I find out when my much needed stimulator surgeries are tomorrow.That's great for me!!! But they can't get in the way of trip planning either.
We have to make our hotel reservation with Emily at Mouse for Less by the 2nd week of December. This is important or I won't be able to make my ADRs starting December 21st. I also have to be healthy enough to make ADRs December 21st through 31st at the crack of dawn. Because I'm doing them online 10 days early, I have to get up each day. When I get my perfect plan, it will be worth it!
Finally, I am concerned that I better start cranking out my Mouse for Less blog entries in case I'm not up to it after surgery. I'm counting on getting a Photopass CD by blogging so I can't get behind!
It's funny because Mickey has gotten me through some of the worse moments of my illness. Now in facing my illness, I am concerned than Mickey get treated well too
P.S. Wouldn't this shower curtain make a great birthday present for a Mickey freak? (11/10 if you're wondering LOL!)