The End of our Chunky Year of Disney! Dec 2017 TR - NEW 3/21 THE END of our YEAR OF DISNEY

[chunkymonkey]

I had such a fun time following along with your year of Disney! Thanks so much for sharing your adventures

Thank you for reading!!

It's so awesome you got to go so much!

It was really awesome! I had the best time!

And so many cool things happened in the years you had your pass! I miss TGMR too, but I'm glad we got to be there to say bye to Wishes and see HEA start.

It's so cool to see how many new things happen each year at Disney. I am all for change though

It was so great meeting you twice last year.

Yes!! I hope we get to meet up again! I'm sure we will

It was our pleasure! Thanks so much for taking time out of your vacation to stop and say hi to us.

Thank you for taking the time from your busy wedding/disneymoon trip! I am thinking I shoulda just crashed the wedding now, I'll have held up a sign that said "THE DISBOARDS IS HERE"

Finally caught up on this trip report too. I am working from home, since I'm kind of sick today... cough, cough Actually, I am a bit sick, and work is really slow right now. I'm sure that will change Monday. Anyway, it sounds like an awesome trip. Congratulations on DVC. Glad to hear dad is doing better. Love to see the Tiffins reports again. We just got back from Disney a week ago and ate at Tiffins for at least our 5th time. I have gotten the whole fried fish twice and absolutely love it. DS gets so spoiled there, because we let him get the wagyu, even though he gets it with no sauce or veggies. We got a card and chocolate this time too. One other time we got peppermint bark.

Hi Soniam!!!! I'm so happy to see you back on the boards! Sorry you aren't feeling well. I hope you feel better! (although it is Monday, yawn).
I'm so jealous you were just at Disney. Not until Sept for us, although I may do a weekend trip if I feel like it's worth it.
I do miss that fried fish and I love the Wagyu. We have Tiffins booked for the ROL package in Sept. I'm really looking forward to it! You know, we've gotten the card and chocolates like every time we've been to Tiffins except for this last time...hmm, what is up with that? Maybe they forgot.

Galactic Nights sounds really cool. It's never been at a time when we go. Maybe someday. We did the Void last week. It was really cool. It was amazing how much happens in such a short time. We got a hint from one of the employees afterward. DH was wearing a Han Solo shirt, and he said, "What would Han do?" Hopefully, that's not a big spoiler for anyone. Blasting away was totally fun. I accidentally starting shooting when we were in a tight closed room I think I maybe even accidentally shot my son or husband. It's just a game, right

They have one over Memorial Day but we're not going to make it. It's so expensive to travel that weekend plus it's gonna be packed. They have new food items though that sound really cool. If they have another one in the fall/winter again I'd like to go.
Glad you had fun at the Void! It was so much fun wasn't it? Haha, I'm pretty sure we accidentally shot on another. I had no idea what I was shooting at sometimes. Haha.

We had a great time eating at Victoria & Albert with you. That meal was so phenomenal. I am looking forward to the report. We also enjoyed hanging out with you at MNSSHP too.

It was a phenomenal night! MNSSHP was really fun too. I really should get started on that report. I just managed to sort out my pictures. I had them sitting in my camera for a while since I hadn't used my camera since that trip.

We have a bit of a lull until our next WDW trip. I am planning on going to Destination D in November. It's the weekend before Thanksgiving. If DS pulls up his grades (takes after his dad, slacker genius), then we will all go to WDW and Universal for the week of Thanksgiving. I am thinking of doing the MVMCP; I have never been. We do have a Disneyland/Aulani trip planned this summer and a 20th anniversary cruise to the Southern Caribbean in April to fill the gap. I am pretty sure we are doing Disneyland in summer 2019 for the D23 Expo and hopefully Galaxy's Edge, but I don't know when we will do WDW. I don't think I could go a year without it though.

Destination D sounds like a really great event! I would go except that we'll be in Australia for a wedding.
I love the term Slacker Genius. It's kinda describes me and Steve. Well more slacker than genius though, hahaha.
MVMCP was fun, although probably not as cool as the Halloween party, but the holiday decor was great. It sounds like you have some really amazing vacations planned! Jealous of your Aulani trip. We have a DCL cruise booked to Alaska but for 2019. I am really eager and wary of going to Galaxy's Edge next year. I'd really like to do D23 too but from what my friend told me who went last year, she basically spent the whole time on line for 2 panels, haha. I guess you have to pick your battles.

What a great year! And now I know why you like Flower&Garden so much. I think it's my favorite too. The park is so pretty!! And we hit every booth but one lol.
Loved reading along on your trips!

It's amazing! I am sad I'm missing it this year but we don't want to start using our APs until September. Although maybe if there are Toy Story land previews we may do it. Maybe.
Thank you for reading and hopefully we get a chance to meet up one day!

Thanks for sharing your year of Disney with all of us Su-Lynn!!! You truly had an amazing year and I was thrilled I got to (finally) be a small part of it !

Thanks for reading Kari! It was a pleasure to finally meet you and your family! I know I can count on you for all my foodie advice, except for maybe mushrooms.

Thank you for sharing your Year Of Disney with us all. Even though I have not commented a lot lately (due to illness and work) I really, really enjoyed coming along. Your TRs are such a wonderful treat when you are in need of a pick me up. (As I often was this fall and winter).

And hey - we will be at Disney the same week you are - staying at OKW (with Alison and Fran) and BCV -and I promise I will do my best not to fall ill again and MAYBE, just maybe you could consider a DISmeet with us this summer.

Hi Karin! Sorry to hear you have not been well. I hope you feel better! Thank you so much!
And yes, Alison has told me about September! We will be at the Beach Club too (not the villas though) and I'm definitely planning on meeting up with all of you!!!
Are you doing the Halloween party that week? We are probably going to do the Sept 3rd one.

All hail the Toy Story Mania champion!! What an amazing year! I’ve loved following along and look forward to your new adventures - especially that dining report... it’s all about the food!

Haha thank you! It is really the highest honor. It took me a really long time to beat DH so I'm going to remind him every chance I get.
I hope to start the dining report soon!

Wow, that food looks beyond amazing!!

It was very good!! thank you!

 

[tammy]

Another great trip report. Thanks for sharing your wonderful year of Disney

 

[soniam]

Hi Soniam!!!! I'm so happy to see you back on the boards! Sorry you aren't feeling well. I hope you feel better! (although it is Monday, yawn).
I'm so jealous you were just at Disney. Not until Sept for us, although I may do a weekend trip if I feel like it's worth it.
I do miss that fried fish and I love the Wagyu. We have Tiffins booked for the ROL package in Sept. I'm really looking forward to it! You know, we've gotten the card and chocolates like every time we've been to Tiffins except for this last time...hmm, what is up with that? Maybe they forgot.

Thanks. It's just the typical lurgy, ie cold/allergies. It was good to go before the TSL and SWGE insanity kick in. We didn't get the card and chocolates at Tiffins in July or November. Weird huh However, in November, we had the same server that we had the first summer that Tiffins opened. It was nice to see people hanging around a long time. We also saw a server that we think worked in Nomad Lounge that first summer. We ended up having her as our server 3 separate trips. Her name is the female version of our sons, so it was easy to remember.

They have one over Memorial Day but we're not going to make it. It's so expensive to travel that weekend plus it's gonna be packed. They have new food items though that sound really cool. If they have another one in the fall/winter again I'd like to go.
Glad you had fun at the Void! It was so much fun wasn't it? Haha, I'm pretty sure we accidentally shot on another. I had no idea what I was shooting at sometimes. Haha.

I guess they are doing them to coincide with the movies, which always seem to be busy times of the year. I don't think DS would like Galactic Nights, well at least the food, but DH and I would.

It was a phenomenal night! MNSSHP was really fun too. I really should get started on that report. I just managed to sort out my pictures. I had them sitting in my camera for a while since I hadn't used my camera since that trip.

I think I have resigned myself to not being able to do trip reports. I just get so busy and then feel bad about not finishing them

Destination D sounds like a really great event! I would go except that we'll be in Australia for a wedding.
I love the term Slacker Genius. It's kinda describes me and Steve. Well more slacker than genius though, hahaha.
MVMCP was fun, although probably not as cool as the Halloween party, but the holiday decor was great. It sounds like you have some really amazing vacations planned! Jealous of your Aulani trip. We have a DCL cruise booked to Alaska but for 2019. I am really eager and wary of going to Galaxy's Edge next year. I'd really like to do D23 too but from what my friend told me who went last year, she basically spent the whole time on line for 2 panels, haha. I guess you have to pick your battles.

Well, since they just announced D23 will be at the end of August, when my son will be back in school, I don't think we will do a family trip to DLR in 2019. I am going to try to go to D23 though. I think we are going to book one of the onsite hotels for this summer, instead of the HoJo, since we probably won't be going for long in 2019. I figured if we were going to be there during the the first summer of SWGE, then I would consider booking a VIP tour of just that land. I might still do it, because I bet I could get a lot of D23ers willing to split it with me. My family wouldn't like sitting around in the lines; I was going to send them to the parks. I could probably put up with it, especially since there is probably someone from the boards that I know going. I don't know if I am willing to spend the money to get the VIP package for the Expo though.

The Alaska cruise sounds awesome! We are rethinking our summer 2019 vacation plans. We thought about an Alaska cruise, but I really want to do a one-way, which DCL doesn't offer yet. I am concerned that there won't be enough on a non-DCL ship for DS to do. The non-DCL ships in Alaska tend to be older and smaller with less stuff for kids/tweens. So, I think we'll wait a little on Alaska and see what ships/itineraries are offered in the future. We might do a trip to Yosemite and San Francisco, instead of DLR for summer 2019.

 

[dizneeat]

We will be at the Beach Club too (not the villas though) and I'm definitely planning on meeting up with all of you!!!

We'll be at BCV from Tuesday to Saturday - hoping to get as much F&W experience as possible as last year I had caught a horrible cold on the cruise and even though we had to add on a few days due to Hurricane Irma I never really recovered and our park visits were short ones.
I really hope it won't happen again and we will be able to meet up with you two without having to cough all day.

Are you doing the Halloween party that week? We are probably going to do the Sept 3rd one.

We will all (Alison, Fran, Jill, Pamela, Jeanette and Teresa and Mick) go to the one on August 24. We might fit in another one before we go home.

 

[Ears to Disney]

What a great year! Congrats on your DVC ownership! "Welcome Home"! I really enjoyed reading through your TR and was so sad that we missed you guys by a day! Star Wars Galactic Nights looked absolutely amazing and I just saw that they have one for May, and sadly we won't be able to go. Dan and I would just love to do this event. Hope they will keep it around for at least another year periodically so that we may have the chance eventually. The Yachtsman Steakhouse looks incredible and we have still yet to dine there. Hopefully we can go on our really long trip coming up in October/November 2018. Steve, it looks like you had a great birthday! Star Wars VR and 'Ohana! We really have to get to 'Ohana for dinner during our next visit as well. The food looks awesome! Thank you for sharing and I look forward to catching up on your other TR's!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Congrats on buying DVC! Also, that meal to Morimoto looked AMAZING!

 

[franandaj]

Wow! What a year! I'd love to comment more, but I am so far behind it's crazy! I enjoyed reading about everything you did and even have taken a few of these things for my own experiences.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Another great trip report. Thanks for sharing your wonderful year of Disney

Thank you so much and thanks for taking the time to read!!

Thanks. It's just the typical lurgy, ie cold/allergies. It was good to go before the TSL and SWGE insanity kick in. We didn't get the card and chocolates at Tiffins in July or November. Weird huh However, in November, we had the same server that we had the first summer that Tiffins opened. It was nice to see people hanging around a long time. We also saw a server that we think worked in Nomad Lounge that first summer. We ended up having her as our server 3 separate trips. Her name is the female version of our sons, so it was easy to remember.

Yeah for some reason I've gotten the chocolates almost every time except for the last time there in Dec. Weird huh. Oh well. I do see a lot of the same folk though which is nice.

I guess they are doing them to coincide with the movies, which always seem to be busy times of the year. I don't think DS would like Galactic Nights, well at least the food, but DH and I would.

I think you will have a great time. It a little less crazy than the MK parties, and it's all Star Wars so you can't really go wrong!

Well, since they just announced D23 will be at the end of August, when my son will be back in school, I don't think we will do a family trip to DLR in 2019. I am going to try to go to D23 though. I think we are going to book one of the onsite hotels for this summer, instead of the HoJo, since we probably won't be going for long in 2019. I figured if we were going to be there during the the first summer of SWGE, then I would consider booking a VIP tour of just that land. I might still do it, because I bet I could get a lot of D23ers willing to split it with me. My family wouldn't like sitting around in the lines; I was going to send them to the parks. I could probably put up with it, especially since there is probably someone from the boards that I know going. I don't know if I am willing to spend the money to get the VIP package for the Expo though.

Getting a VIP group out to SWGE sounds like a great plan. I would do the same for WDW if they offered it. I'm sure I can get some DISboarders to go in with me. Either way I totally think it's worth it!

The Alaska cruise sounds awesome! We are rethinking our summer 2019 vacation plans. We thought about an Alaska cruise, but I really want to do a one-way, which DCL doesn't offer yet. I am concerned that there won't be enough on a non-DCL ship for DS to do. The non-DCL ships in Alaska tend to be older and smaller with less stuff for kids/tweens. So, I think we'll wait a little on Alaska and see what ships/itineraries are offered in the future. We might do a trip to Yosemite and San Francisco, instead of DLR for summer 2019.

Sounds like a good plan. We are going to SF ourselves in May, I totally want to check out the Walt Disney Family Museum like you did. I am really excited to go since I have been on a Disney dry spell this year so far.
Yosemite sounds great. Everyone I know who has been has loved it.

We'll be at BCV from Tuesday to Saturday - hoping to get as much F&W experience as possible as last year I had caught a horrible cold on the cruise and even though we had to add on a few days due to Hurricane Irma I never really recovered and our park visits were short ones.
I really hope it won't happen again and we will be able to meet up with you two without having to cough all day.

That's cool, we are definitely going to see each other then! Hope you don't get sick this year! Crossing my fingers for you! Also Alison told me about some potluck that you guys were having in your grand villa on Sept 2? We'll be park hopping that day but would love to stop by and say hi if it's ok with you guys.

We will all (Alison, Fran, Jill, Pamela, Jeanette and Teresa and Mick) go to the one on August 24. We might fit in another one before we go home.

Sounds great! Wow two parties! That must be so much fun as you can have a different plan at each party.

What a great year! Congrats on your DVC ownership! "Welcome Home"! I really enjoyed reading through your TR and was so sad that we missed you guys by a day! Star Wars Galactic Nights looked absolutely amazing and I just saw that they have one for May, and sadly we won't be able to go. Dan and I would just love to do this event. Hope they will keep it around for at least another year periodically so that we may have the chance eventually. The Yachtsman Steakhouse looks incredible and we have still yet to dine there. Hopefully we can go on our really long trip coming up in October/November 2018. Steve, it looks like you had a great birthday! Star Wars VR and 'Ohana! We really have to get to 'Ohana for dinner during our next visit as well. The food looks awesome! Thank you for sharing and I look forward to catching up on your other TR's!

Thank you so much! I'm sure you felt the same after you bought DVC. It's so exciting!!
I hope they do the SWGN event for the time being and I'm sure when SWGE opens they will probably have some special event as well.
Yachtsman is great, hope you get a chance to dine there, as well as Ohana! I have too many favorite places. It's hard to fit them all in and try new ones as well that also become new favorites. I think that's why I get fatter and fatter with each trip because all we do is eat!
Thanks for reading!!

Congrats on buying DVC! Also, that meal to Morimoto looked AMAZING!

GREAT BISCUIT!!! You're back!! Great to hear from you. Thank you! We're totally excited about DVC and can't wait to book our first trip using it.
And Morimoto's omakase is delicious. I highly recommend it!

Wow! What a year! I'd love to comment more, but I am so far behind it's crazy! I enjoyed reading about everything you did and even have taken a few of these things for my own experiences.

Thanks Alison! Don't worry, I'm behind on everything too.
Hope to see you on my next TR...the one from October/Nov which I have yet to start, LOL

 

[Monykalyn]

Getting a VIP group out to SWGE sounds like a great plan. I would do the same for WDW if they offered it. I'm sure I can get some DISboarders to go in with me. Either way I totally think it's wo

Actually-friend at work (who is a Disney fiend) was talking about this too.
I was thinking about having DD get me an AP voucher (with her discount this summer) and hope for AP previews as well. Don't want to renew my current pass as I don't want it to run out before the land opens...

 

[SaintsManiac]

I read every report and really enjoyed them! We'll be there 9/1-9/8, so if I see you I will introduce myself. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!!!

 

[andera42]

December 19th - The Last Day of our Year of Disney

We woke up early, packed up and checked out of the Dolphin. We left our stuff with bell services and then headed to DHS for rope drop. We had a few of those anytime FPs from the DVC preview and we used them both for Toy Story Mania! Steve still tried to beat my high score. He came close but to no avail. I am still the champion and I remind him any chance I get. I dunno, he has a competitive streak so I hope it will just make him want to go to Disney more just to beat my score, hahaha. #motivation

We walked around Launch Bay a bit and saw the new Last Jedi stuff on display. We wanted to meet with BB-8 and Chewie but the lines were pretty long and we didn't want to wait as we had some FP+s to make over at AK. So we left DHS and took a bus to AK. Before we did our FPs though, I really wanted to grab a chicken bowl at Satuli Canteen. I really like it and since we weren't scheduled for a meal here this trip, I just wanted to get a taste of it, so I ordered a child's portion of the chicken bowl so as to not ruin our appetite for lunch at Tiffins. It was really good and hit the spot. Our first FP was for the Safari which was a lot of fun, and then we had Flight of Passage FPs again! So excited as this was our last ride of the year and it didn't disappoint.

Now it was time for Tiffins, the restaurant we have been to the most times this year. Let's see...February, 2x in May, August, November, and December. That's 6 times! We really love it here. Not only is the food great, it's just a really nice way to escape the throngs of people outside and dine in an elegant but still down-to-earth environment in a park. We always get the octopus appetizer, which is my favorite thing to eat there, and I think Steve got the wagyu striploin which is really delicious, I've had it before. I believe I got the fish of the day - I think it was a swordfish. Very flavorful and comes with black rice which is a favorite. I must always get the Passionfruit Tapioca Creme dessert. Hands-down the best dessert on property. Sweet, tart, creamy and tropical, I just love it so much and I'm not even a dessert person that much anymore.

At DHS that morning:

In AK:

Chicken Bowl from Satuli:

Photopass Pics:

Tiffins Lunch:

They even gifted Steve with some little treats for his birthday, love that detail!

Sadly it was time to leave the park in order to make our flight back home. We skipped our third FP which was for Nemo (I have yet to see the show) - so we headed out of the park and back to the Dolphin. We called an Uber to take us to the airport and before we knew it, our Year of Disney was over.

The End!!​

Some reflections on our year of Disney:

• I really had the best year ever during 2016-2017. It was my dream to go more than once per calendar year and finally that dream came true! I could get used to this!
• We made 8 trips total with our APs! Once in 2016, and seven times in 2017! (Plus a Disney Cruise). I think we could say it was worth it for us. But it was a very hectic year! There was lots of planning and watching airfare, and making ADRs, and FPs. I felt like my whole year was planned around these dates, LOL. And not to mention the packing and unpacking. Maybe I should have made it easy on myself and just wore the same thing on each trip that way I could just do laundry and repack it and be ready for the next trip, haha, but what is the fun in that?!?
• Our Tables in Wonderland Card was a wonderful purchase, especially because we were able to use it for the majority of meals during our family trip in August and saved us so much money. I think in the future we'd have to see if we really need this since we don't plan on doing THAT many trips in one year again.
• We did so many things for the first time, we ran not one, but two 5ks (Princess and Food and Wine), attended our first MVMCP and MNSSHP, went to Star Wars Galactic Nights, was in DHS for May the 4th, did a Star Wars tour, had a preview of a new land (Pandora), attended Food and Wine events, and stayed at many new-to-us deluxe resorts such as: Yacht Club, Grand Floridian, Boardwalk, and Contemporary!
• We said goodbye to Wishes, and The Great Movie Ride (RIP), but we also welcomed Happily Ever After. I'm a little sad about the former two, but I really love HEA and I'm sure all the new rides they put in will be fabulous, but I do have a soft spot for TGMR .
• We also ate at many great places for the first time: Tiffins (which quickly became a favorite), The Wave, Trattoria Al Forno, Via Napoli, Skipper's Canteen, and Grand Floridian Cafe. There are probably more but those are the first that come to mind. My dining report for our Oct/Nov trip should be coming up soon!
• We ate at the most expensive meal of our lives...the special Victoria and Albert's dinner for the Food and Wine Festival. The menu was completely different than their regular tasting menu and included wine pairings. We had a fabulous time with @soniam and her husband during dinner. I'll be writing all about this in my upcoming Dining Report.
• Which brings me to this very special shout out: I had a year of fabulous DISMeets!! Thank you everyone, you know who you are, and I really appreciate you all taking the time to meet us and getting to know you all in person!

And most importantly...WE NOW OWN DVC!!!

So I hope to see many more of you on future trips!! ​

If you're looking for links to my other TRs or DTRs for our Year of Disney, here they are in chronological order:

• Dec 2016: December Dining Report
• February 2017: Tale as Old as Time, a Birthday and RunDisney 5k Trip Report
• May 2017: BEST DAY EVER - May Flower and Garden and Pandora Preview report (covers 2 trips in May)
• August 2017: OHANA Means Chunky! A Family Trip Report with 15 of us! (In Progress)
• September 2017: TBD - it was a short 2 night stay but maybe a quick TR like this.
• October 2017: It's MARVELOUS on the Magic - a Marvel Day at Sea Disney Cruise to Canada (In Progress)
• October/November 2017: Our Anniversary, Food and Wine, 5K, MNSSHP Extravaganza (TR TBD)
• December 2017: This TR!! Where we continued the magic by buying DVC!

Thanks for following along on our year of Disney!

Now the magic continues...

Our next planned trip is Sept 1-9th 2018 with Steve and my sister, Chunkysis (Su-Queen) our resident character picture-taking card-making guru! Not sure I'll do a PTR for this yet, maybe after I get through my other TRs!
​

Wow. Reading along, love your trip report . How wonderful you had a year of living Disney . Love all your outfits and coordinating shirts with your husband. What a treat to be DVC members .

 

[chunkymonkey]

I read every report and really enjoyed them! We'll be there 9/1-9/8, so if I see you I will introduce myself. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!!!

Thank you so much for reading! And yes if you see me around in Sept, please say hi! If you'd like to set up a specific time to meet, just pm me

Wow. Reading along, love your trip report . How wonderful you had a year of living Disney . Love all your outfits and coordinating shirts with your husband. What a treat to be DVC members .

It was a wonderful year, we were very lucky! In comparison, this year is like a Disney Drought - at least until Sept!
Thank you! That's what happens when you leave all the packing to me. Steve can't pack for his life, and he'll probably forget to even bring t-shirts if he packed on his own.

 

[Bambi-NY]

Wow, what a fabulous Disney year!! Wonderful memories to have.
Congrats on becoming DVC members. "Welcome Home". I bought at the Boardwalk in 1999, best decision.
Reading along and looking at your photos has me excited for my Aug trip.
Hope all is well with your Dad and he's getting better everyday.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Wow, what a fabulous Disney year!! Wonderful memories to have.
Congrats on becoming DVC members. "Welcome Home". I bought at the Boardwalk in 1999, best decision.
Reading along and looking at your photos has me excited for my Aug trip.
Hope all is well with your Dad and he's getting better everyday.

Thank you! It was the most amazing year, it will be hard to replicate!
Wow Boardwalk! We really loved that resort - may have to look into getting some resale in the future. We love the location!!
Have a magical time in August! We'll be missing you by a few days. We arrive on Sept 1st!
Thank you! I really appreciate it. He's doing much much better and is now pretty much back to regularly scheduled activities!