I'm going to Disney World - oh wait, no I'm not...

Yes!

Not exactly a surprise; we had it in mind to go sometime this fall or winter and just needed to work out when the timing was right and when we could get a timeshare exchange. But getting it nailed down and KNOWING when we're going, making the ADRs, getting the airline tickets, etc. makes it all seem MUCH more real than just "well, sometime...."

Of course, I've already tweaked the tentative schedule a bit. I'm sure by November it will barely resemble the one I posted above. But that's okay; with just one ADR that can't easily be rescheduled and the MVMCP tickets not purchased yet, we're quite flexible.

Reading Kristen's excellent trip report got me wondering...

What counter-service options would you recommend around Epcot's World Showcase? The only requirement is that there be no CHEESE involved. (Cheese, ick.)

Kristen, you mentioned tacos. Which tacos, and did they have cheese on them?

Anything else? Anybody?

Thanks much, Kristen. La Cantina de San Angel is on our list of places to try. We've never eaten there (or at most of the other World Showcase counter-service restaurants) since we usually go during F&W Fest and just graze our way through the festival booths.

Still more than four months to go and I've already revised the plans.

Saturday - arrive via Magical Express, Downtown Disney and Earl of Sandwich
Sunday - Epcot daytime, Cape May Cafe dinner ADR, DHS evening for EMH
Monday - DHS daytime, MK evening for EMH
Tuesday - MK all day, Ohana dinner ADR
Wednesday - AK all day, Boma dinner ADR, either Downtown Disney or Epcot after dinner
Thursday - DHS morning, Epcot afternoon, MVMCP evening
Friday - DHS morning, MK afternoon and maybe Liberty Tree Tavern lunch ADR, Epcot evening for EMH
Saturday - check out, daytime at Epcot until we need to get back to Saratoga Springs and catch the Magical Express

I rearranged the park plans to get more variety from day to day. Added Cape May Cafe to Sunday's plans because I wanted to go there last trip and didn't. And added the Liberty Tree Tavern lunch Friday as a "contingency" ADR in case we've already hit all the counter-service places at MK. If we haven't, we'll cancel the ADR. All meals that aren't specifically listed as ADRs above will be counter service, especially at Epcot, where we plan on hitting pretty much every country around the World Showcase.

We've got a bit more than two months to go. At the moment our daily schedule looks something like this:

Saturday - arrive via Magical Express, Downtown Disney and Earl of Sandwich
Sunday - Epcot daytime, Cape May Cafe dinner ADR, DHS evening for EMH
Monday - DHS daytime, Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater lunch ADR, MK evening for EMH
Tuesday - MK all day, Ohana dinner ADR
Wednesday - AK all day, Boma dinner ADR, either Downtown Disney or Epcot after dinner
Thursday - Cape May Cafe breakfast ADR, Epcot afternoon, MVMCP evening
Friday - DHS morning, MK afternoon and Liberty Tree Tavern lunch ADR, Epcot evening for EMH
Saturday - check out, daytime at Epcot until we need to get back to Saratoga Springs and catch the Magical Express

BUT...we may need to make some changes to our plans.

After 22 years with my current employer and 7 years on my current contract, the U.S. government has decided not to extend the contract at the end of the fiscal year September 30. (Big surprise, I know, what with all the sequestration and furloughs and government cutbacks. But I was hoping for the best.) And the gargantuan corporation I work for does not let employees hang around charging overhead if they don't have an active contract to work on. So if they don't find me an open position by the end of the month, I'll be unemployed on October 1. Fortunately, after 22 years at that company, I have over 10 weeks of unused vacation time accrued, giving me till nearly the end of the year before we start to feel a serious financial pinch.

The Disney trip isn't in jeopardy since it's already largely paid for - we've got the airline tickets and the Saratoga Springs unit taken care of, just need our park tickets and meals. But if I'm unemployed, most or all of those wonderful ADRs will have to go, replaced by more affordable counter-service meals and breakfast items we'll bring from home. (We won't have a car, so eating off property won't be an option.) MVMCP will also be out of the question at over $60 per ticket - we can spend that evening at Epcot instead.

We had planned on getting an annual pass for this trip and returning sometime next spring and again next October, but if I'm unemployed that will change to a length-of-stay park-hopper pass (gotta have that park-hopper). Next fall, if I've got a good job by then, we'll revisit the annual pass idea.

No, unfortunately, no free dining for us. But the money we saved doing the timeshare exchange is much better than paying regular room rates and getting free dining.

And thanks for the good words, everyone.

On the FUN side, I just called and made our reservations for the Magical Express! So in about a month we'll be getting MICKEY MAIL!

MICKEY MAIL!!!!

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And I'm wondering about my ticker - it used to be accurate, but right now it says we have 1 month and 11 days when in reality we'll be departing exactly one month from today.