Day 1 The Departure

Everything you ever wanted to know (and more) about the first day of our 2011 journey to my Mecca. Before the trip it will be an itinerary. After a travel log of all our fun (all bickering will be left out!)

Monday, July 25, 2011

Artist's Point

This was a lovely choice for our first "nicer" meal at Disney. We had never been there, as was the case at many of the places we ate over the next 10 days, but we were pleasantly surprised. If you haven't read it somewhere yet, I am a picky eater and this is the beginning of my learning curve towards ordering things the way I want them (I get better) but not too bad.

We took a bus from Pop Century to Hollywood Studios and then caught a bus to Wilderness Lodge. We arrived a little early and checked in. We were given a buzzer. It was nice to look around the resort a bit. The Lodge looks so huge inside.

Our buzzer went off and we were shown to our table. It felt strange to be a little dressed up and to be at Disney. Artist's Point is a 2 credit restaurant on the dining plans which also signals it has a dress code. Don't let this scare you. . Dress Code for Signature Restaurants is Resort Casual. Not permitted in dining room: Tank tops, swimsuits or swimsuit cover-ups, hats for gentlemen, cut-offs, or torn clothing of any kind. This doesn't mean super fancy although tonight I did wear a skirt.

As we sat down, I looked up and saw the beautiful chandelier. They fill the restaurant and are lovely.


The atmosphere and timing at Artist's Point really stood out as did the service.
 Here's what I had:

Mixed Field Greens (ordered plain)

Char-Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Potato & Bean Salad and Green Peppercorn Butter(what's left)

Chocolate Indulgence...Valhrona Chocolate Ganache with Salted Chocolate Ice Cream, Amarena Cherries, and Dark Chocolate Crumble



This Signature Restaurant is one we will visit again in the future for both the food and the atmosphere.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Short Note About Window Decorating

I had a lot of fun decorating my window and heard lots of positive comments. I even got a fan letter from a fellow online DISboard member who admired my work!

What I didn't get for the 10 days we were there was a single towel animal! At first I was heart-broken and then I was having too much fun to let it ruin my day but I do suspect that my elaborate window may be the reason why we never were gifted with one. Jim says they couldn't fit one in the window.

As I walked past windows that had 5 or 6 I felt bad but in all honesty they wouldn't have fit in my suitcase coming home!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Rainy Day People

Apparently we brought the rain with us. The first day we were there it poured and Orlando was happy. They were in the middle of a drought. We just hoped it didn't last the whole time we were there! (It didn't- We only hit the normal July Florida rain.)

Thursday, June 30, 2011

A Lot of Rain. A Good First Day.

Getting off the plane went smoothly . We couldn't believe how short the line for Magical Express was.  We beat our bags back to Pop Century.
I had pre-registered us so check-in was simple. We got our folder and Keys to the World even though our room wasn't ready. We checked our carry-ons at the desk and we left for Hollywood Studios to get our Annual Passes.
Getting to HS was not a problem.  We caught a bus right away. It had started to rain by then. Many people were leaving as we arrived. We were just there for our tickets. Jim and I got in the shortest line and soon it was our turn. I showed my paperwork and our IDs. We signed a paper and were given our cards. Couldn't have been easier!
Next came the hard part: catching a bus to Downtown Disney. No buses came to take us to Pop Century for the longest time. Luckily we stayed dry. We finally made it to DTD.  Our plan there was to finally get some food in our stomachs. We headed straight for our favorite first stop: House of Blues. It did not disappoint. Jim had Jambalaya. I had my favorite salad and mashed potatoes. Weird I know but it rocks! Then we tried the triple chocolate cake. It is to die for and I will take a picture of it when I have it my last day here.
Found a picture on my cell phone.... and we didn't make it back!

It was sinful.
Because of the rain and needing to unpack we came straight back. We went and got our refillable mugs. Our bags were in our room. We have a king-size bed and a fridge because I have medical issues. I love the king-sized bed!
Jim tried the bed out and I went into unpack mode.
I put away the clothes as I can't live out of a suitcase for 10 days and tried to find the bathroom stuff a home.
Finally I could do the fun stuff. I decorated the window. It's eclectic but cute. It was raining when I did it and it's 4:50am right now but I will post a picture or two.
I also got a special delivery: an autograph book and two personalized Mickey ears. They were great and Jim looks great in his!
We ended the day with dinner at Artist Point. We had never been there and we were both very impressed. I will do a separate entry to recount our meal there.
It must have been a good day, I fell asleep on the bus ride home!


Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Airport check-in

I managed to pass security check with flying colors. They hardly even looked at my card because I got scanned which was normal as a get out. No worries what so ever! And we've upgraded to first class. I just bought an invisible ink book... sounds like fun!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

I know I've made the right choice

Waiting for the trip to get here I'm getting my own Independent Travel Agency through Academy Travel up and going and it feels so right! I want to help others feel as excited as I feel right now about getting to go and see Mickey Mouse!
Send me an e-mail at mickeyonmymind@gmail.com and I'll help make your dreams come true!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Is it here yet?

I'm like a little child ready for this day. So much work and anticipation goes into it. I worry that we'll have huge storms like last year that almost made getting to the airport impossible. But that couldn't happen two years in a row!
Working on this group of sites has got my interest high and it also helps me check all the details as well. You'll notice many things say more to come. If I don't get to them pre-trip, I'll fill them in post. I look at this as my on-line scrapbook that I welcome you to look at too.