Obsessive planning for 1, make that 2, now 3 trips

[lovedonaldduck]

I have decided to give a pre trip report a try.

Just a little bit of background, my first trip to the Magic Kingdom came in 2001 (I think). My DH and I had been married for a few months and friends of ours were Disney addicts: annual passes, MNSSHP, MVMCP, multiple trips each month; so they talked us into a trip. We enjoyed it, I had previously been to Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland so to me it was a little bit similar. What I most noticed on our trip was parents not watching their kids, dragging miserable kids around, and pushing strollers with kids not nearly old enough to be enjoying themselves. Isn't it amazing how much we know about parenting before we become parents:)? And how much it all changes when we become parents? Anyways, I decided then that when we had kids we would wait until they were old enough to really enjoy WDW before we went.

Well, DD is now 3 and we spent last year breaking her in on our Sea World annual passes so now she is a theme park pro. We decided instead of renewing our Sea World passes, zoo passes, and Alligator Farm passes, we would spring for a trip to Disney this year. My DH and I were discussing the trip over dinner one night and he suggested we invite my parents to join us - it was his idea! :lovestruc As long as it meant I didn't have to bring my MIL I was good with it and my husband assured me we didn't have to invite her.

So, I invited my parents and they were happy to join us. We ended up with 6 day hopper passes, dining, and 7 nights at FWC in April. We had such a great time we updgraded to seasonal passes and booked a return trip for September before leaving:banana::banana:! I also managed to sneak in a weekend trip before our passes were blacked out for the summer 2 weeks ago.

So now, September hours are out and I still have 2 weeks until I have to book my ADRs, regular dining plan, so I am trying to decide on which parks to visit on which days. That is what inspired me to start a pre-trip report, I need help! We require a break each day at midday. The other adults asked for more downtime on this trip. Epcot is the adults favorite park. Last time we neglected DHS, only ate at 50's Prime Time and saw an American Idol show before we called it a night. So this is what I am thinking:

Sunday 9/27 - MK
Monday 9/28 - DHS
Tuesday 9/29 - off morning, MNSSHP
Wednesday 9/30 - off morning, Epcot evening
Thursday 10/1 - AK morning, Epcot evening
Friday 10/2 - Epcot morning, MK evening

Here are my concerns -
9/27 - MK has evening EMH which we will not want to stay out for, so should we spend the evening elsewhere to avoid the crowds?
Will we have enough time at MK during the week? Not sure if we will be able to do candy, shows, parades, characters, and rides at MNSSHP. We plan on getting there as close to 4 as possible.
Do we have enough Epcot time during the week, as this is everyone's favorite? Even DD3.
http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu63/lovedonaldduck/2323232327Ffp433523Enu3D32393E93C3B.jpg

Let me know your thoughts. I will post my ADR ideas next.

[lovedonaldduck]

On to my probable ADRs. I still have 2 weeks until I can call so they will probably change a million times by then.

9/26 - Arrival night - Ohana's - 7pm
9/27 - MK day - The Wave 5:30pm
9/28 - DHS day - 50's Prime Time Cafe 7pm
9/29 - MNSSHP - Raglan Road 3pm
9/30 - Epcot afternoon - Le Cellier not sure what time, which is good since I probably won't get much off a choice on this one anyways ;)
10/1 - AK day - Tusker House 8am
10/2 - Epcot am/MK pm - Kona Cafe 5pm

Last trip we went to 50's Prime Time, Raglan Road, and Kona Cafe and loved them all so those are repeats. Everything else is new to us. Tusker House is the little one's choice, she wants to have breakfast with Donald.

[lovedonaldduck]

I have some exciting news that I have to share (with myself, for now, but I know readers will find me).

I just booked a studio at OKW for the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend (9/6) for $76 by renting DVC points! :banana::banana::banana::banana:

I am so excited, we have never stayed at OKW before and never gotten a deal this good before either. Maybe if I can rent DVC points I can wait on splurging on a DVC purchase. I just realized I am within the 90 day window so I can book an ADR. Better start figuring that one out!

[tinkandonaldfans]

well this a reply from a fellow first timer doing a pre-trip report! I have done one also Fit to Burst!!!!!- a Pre-Trip Report and felt I needed to add some encouragement to others.

Well when I rang on Friday to make my ADRs I was plesantly surprised that I got everything I asked for even a Le Cellier Dinner! So here is some pixie dust for your ADR call!

[Raecheal]

:wave2: I love your ADR's so far... Hopefully you'll be able to get them all.

I'm in...:surfweb:

[lovedonaldduck]

well this a reply from a fellow first timer doing a pre-trip report! I have done one also Fit to Burst!!!!!- a Pre-Trip Report and felt I needed to add some encouragement to others.

Well when I rang on Friday to make my ADRs I was plesantly surprised that I got everything I asked for even a Le Cellier Dinner! So here is some pixie dust for your ADR call!

I am going to check out your pre-trip report in a minute. I appreciate the encouragement.

:wave2: I love your ADR's so far... Hopefully you'll be able to get them all.

I'm in...:surfweb:

Thanks for joining. I call for ADRs in less than two weeks. I will let you know how it goes.

[lovedonaldduck]

Before I get back to the pre-trip for the big September trip, I need to start figuring out our last minute overnight Labor Day weekend. I tried to call yesterday but the reservation system was down again. :mad: I guess it's alright since I don't really know where we are going to eat anyway.

We have about a 2.5 hour drive so I imagine we will get to OKW about noon on 9/6. By the time we are checked in I figure we can be to a park by 1pm. The problem is I don't know which park that will be. Our last weekend trip we did Epcot and MK so my husband wants to do DHS and AK this time. I will miss MK and Epcot if that is what we do but I'm thinking I will do what my husband wants since I am still trying to turn him into a Disney fanatic. ;)

My concern is DHS has Fantasmic! Sunday night and we have never been there when Fantasmic! was showing - does it really affect crowd levels? We won't be watching Fantasmic, I'm afraid it will scare the little one. If crowds won't be too bad, we can do DHS on Sunday and AK has morning EMH on Monday so that will work out.

I am going to call now and see what time we can get into 50's Prime Time Cafe on 9/6. Wish me luck.:wizard:

[SilverL]

If you're worried about not getting enough MK in, which is a valid concern with kids, why not go to MK a little earlier on your MNSSHP day? If that's not possible, then I think you'll probably be fine. Just use a good touring plan on your MK day so that you get to hit everything your family wants to hit.

Have you checked out TourGuideMike or TouringPlans at all? I subscribed to touring plans for something like $10 for the year. It really helped me figure out which parks to visit each day, and what to expect as far as crowds. For such a low price, I considered it a great investment.

My DH and I will be there the week before you guys.

[Raecheal]

Before I get back to the pre-trip for the big September trip, I need to start figuring out our last minute overnight Labor Day weekend. I tried to call yesterday but the reservation system was down again. :mad: I guess it's alright since I don't really know where we are going to eat anyway.

We have about a 2.5 hour drive so I imagine we will get to OKW about noon on 9/6. By the time we are checked in I figure we can be to a park by 1pm. The problem is I don't know which park that will be. Our last weekend trip we did Epcot and MK so my husband wants to do DHS and AK this time. I will miss MK and Epcot if that is what we do but I'm thinking I will do what my husband wants since I am still trying to turn him into a Disney fanatic. ;)

My concern is DHS has Fantasmic! Sunday night and we have never been there when Fantasmic! was showing - does it really affect crowd levels? We won't be watching Fantasmic, I'm afraid it will scare the little one. If crowds won't be too bad, we can do DHS on Sunday and AK has morning EMH on Monday so that will work out.

I am going to call now and see what time we can get into 50's Prime Time Cafe on 9/6. Wish me luck.:wizard:

I'm so sorry the reservation system was down.. i can def. understand how frustrating that may be. GOOD LUCK!! Sending you some pixie dust...pixiedust:

[lovedonaldduck]

If you're worried about not getting enough MK in, which is a valid concern with kids, why not go to MK a little earlier on your MNSSHP day? If that's not possible, then I think you'll probably be fine. Just use a good touring plan on your MK day so that you get to hit everything your family wants to hit.

Have you checked out TourGuideMike or TouringPlans at all? I subscribed to touring plans for something like $10 for the year. It really helped me figure out which parks to visit each day, and what to expect as far as crowds. For such a low price, I considered it a great investment.

My DH and I will be there the week before you guys.

I hear September is a great time to go.

My biggest concern with getting enough MK time is I don't know what to expect with MNSSHP. I'm not sure how much MK we will get to do with all the MNSSHP festivities going on. I can always reshuffle the rest of our week for more MK time if needed.

I am subscribed to TouringPlans which is a huge help. We used their plans for our April trip and we rarely waited in line. I think the longest was for Dumbo, about 20 minutes, so that worked out great.

I'm so sorry the reservation system was down.. i can def. understand how frustrating that may be. GOOD LUCK!! Sending you some pixie dust...pixiedust:

Just got off the phone and I got 50's Prime Time Cafe for 5:50, we wanted 6 so I am happy. The pixie dust must have worked. :yay:

[Raecheal]

Pixie Dust always works... Congrats on getting the Prime time!!:woohoo:

[lovedonaldduck]

Pixie Dust always works... Congrats on getting the Prime time!!:woohoo:

Thanks. Now that we have it, I am second guessing myself. It is a family favorite so I know it will be on the list for the big September trip, so now I am wondering if I should try something new for the Labor Day trip. I am the most indecisive person in the world. :confused:

[lovedonaldduck]

Since my ADR date for the big September trip is fast approaching, I am obsessing about it non stop. Right now my biggest dilemma is what time to try and get for our dinner reservations. We will take a midday break each day, the little one needs a nap and the rest of us do better with a break as well. We will probably typically head back to the resort between 12-1pm. Peyton naps for two hours which puts us ready to go out again at about 3. I'm not sure if I should plan the days to head back to a park about 3 and schedule dinners later around 7 and then call it a day; or if it is better to take more down time in the afternoon and schedule dinner around 5 and then head back out to a park after dinner. Decisions, decisions. I am going to double check my itinerary and will probably end up with a combination of the two. Let me know if you have any thoughts. I will keep you posted. :)

[Myhappythought5]

Since my ADR date for the big September trip is fast approaching, I am obsessing about it non stop. Right now my biggest dilemma is what time to try and get for our dinner reservations. We will take a midday break each day, the little one needs a nap and the rest of us do better with a break as well. We will probably typically head back to the resort between 12-1pm. Peyton naps for two hours which puts us ready to go out again at about 3. I'm not sure if I should plan the days to head back to a park about 3 and schedule dinners later around 7 and then call it a day; or if it is better to take more down time in the afternoon and schedule dinner around 5 and then head back out to a park after dinner. Decisions, decisions. I am going to double check my itinerary and will probably end up with a combination of the two. Let me know if you have any thoughts. I will keep you posted. :)
I was the same way for about 2 weeks before. I obsessed daily. wondering if I had the best plans laid out and if I was going for the best times. Did I have enough back ups. For the most part we got what we wanted durring the times we wanted.
I completely agree about the taking breaks durring the days. We have started doing this more over the years and really enjoy that break. and I know the kids love it. It is nice to get refreshed before going back at it.

Your schedule looks pretty good. EPCOT is our favorite also.
We are also taking the morning off before MNSSHP we are getting our pictures taken but taking the rest of the day to relax. We did this before the Pirate and Princess party and were thankfull we did. Or else we wouldn't have made it through the night.

Also I wanted to say that your DD is adorable. Have fun planning :goodvibes

[lovedonaldduck]

I was the same way for about 2 weeks before. I obsessed daily. wondering if I had the best plans laid out and if I was going for the best times. Did I have enough back ups. For the most part we got what we wanted durring the times we wanted.
I completely agree about the taking breaks durring the days. We have started doing this more over the years and really enjoy that break. and I know the kids love it. It is nice to get refreshed before going back at it.

Your schedule looks pretty good. EPCOT is our favorite also.
We are also taking the morning off before MNSSHP we are getting our pictures taken but taking the rest of the day to relax. We did this before the Pirate and Princess party and were thankfull we did. Or else we wouldn't have made it through the night.

Also I wanted to say that your DD is adorable. Have fun planning :goodvibes

Thanks, I think my DD is adorable too. :cutie: She is really the best. My DH has been working until midnight the last few nights so it's just be her and I and I am loving spending the time with her.

Breaks work really well for us. I could go all day nonstop, I just love being there so much, but DD would be miserable and so would everyone else.

Where are you getting your pictures taken? I keep debating whether we should do this or not. I think I am on the fence because I keep reading conflicting information on pricing. If you could share your plan, I'd appreciate it.

[lovedonaldduck]

I am second guessing my 50's Prime Time Cafe reservation for our Labor Day trip. We are only going to do one TS meal while we are there and I just don't know if that is where I want it to be, especially since we will be eating there again in less than a month.

The online reservation system is going to be horrible for someone as indecisive as me. I have already tried a couple different alternates for Labor Day, although I didn't book anything yet. I think I am going to talk to my husband and see if we can switch up our park plans for the weekend. Try Epcot on Sunday and DHS on Monday, then we can try a new restaurant for dinner in Epcot. I'll see what he thinks.

[lovedonaldduck]

The madness has started already. This morning I booked a 4:45 reservation at Coral Reef for our Labor Day trip. We have never been to Coral Reef so I am excited. :yay:

I talked to my husband about it last night (he finally got home at a decent hour) and we agreed that although we love 50's Prime Time Cafe, we would rather not eat there twice in one month so we decided to switch up our days since there is nowhere else we wanted to eat at DHS. We are going to go to Epcot on Sunday and then DHS on Monday. This may work out better anyways, as I was worried about Fantasmic crowds at DHS on Sunday and we probably wouldn't get there until afternoon so I was also worried about missing out on TSM again.

Not sure if I am going to plan out our Labor Day touring plans next or try to finalize the big September trip with some alternates in preparation for my ADR call next weekend. I will keep you all posted. ;)

[lovedonaldduck]

My mom threw a wrench in the Labor Day plans this weekend, she does not want to go to Epcot on this trip. So we are back to DHS on Sunday and AK on Monday. DH and I still don't want to eat at 50's Prime Time Cafe twice in a month, so I booked Mama Melrose instead. I have read some mixed reviews but I think it is a better dinner option for us than Sci-Fi.

I am going to be taking a bit of a break from this report until the end of the month. I have some career stuff that needs attending to so there needs to be a whole lot less DIS in my immediate future. Don't know how I'll make it. :eek:

[lovedonaldduck]

I am back - although I'm pretty sure I didn't leave anybody hanging waiting for an update. ;) Career stuff done, caught up on other trip reports and pretrip reports so now I am here.

The mini trip for Labor Day weekend is set. We are going to DHS on Sunday, eating dinner at Mama Melrose (I am not thrilled with this, but I don't know where else to use a table service at DHS if I'm not going to 50's Prime Time Cafe :confused3). Monday we will be heading to Animal Kingdom and then home at a reasonable time since it will be back to work and school on Tuesday for all of us.

I have ADR drama to share regarding the big September trip but that will have to wait for my next update...

[lovedonaldduck]

Being that I live in Jacksonville, FL, I have no idea how cell reception just south of Columbia, SC is. At least, I had no idea when I had to make my ADR call from Columbia, SC two weeks ago. :scared1:

My best friend from high school got married in May in Pennsylvania and then had a reception last month in Columbia, SC for all of us southerners who couldn't make it to PA. So, being a wonderful best friend and only a 5 hour drive away from Columbia, I packed my family in the car and headed up I-95 Friday night after work, even though my ADR day was Sunday. I wasn't worried, I'd get up early, make our ADRs at 7, we'd get some breakfast and get on the road. The best laid plans...:sad2:

This is the first time I've had an ADR day, our first Disney vacation in April was booked within the 90 day window so this was all new to me. But I DIS so I was prepared. Well, as prepared as I can be since our trip goes into October and of course there were no October park hours on ADR day. Anyway, I digress. So the ADR plan was:

1. Le Cellier - fit it in anywhere on this vacation
2. Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House - DD requested breakfast with Donald and I knew I wanted this before park opening on a non-EMH morning
3. Ohana - for a normal dinner time
4. 50's Prime Time Cafe - around park closing time so as not to eat into our touring of DHS
5. Kona Cafe - one of our favorites last trip
6. The Wave - we are staying at BLT and I have heard good things
7. Raglan Road - our favorite from our first trip and they have flexible times so we can eat here and then head to MNSSHP

Apparently, you can't sleep in on ADR day. I can sleep in any day, add to that a dark hotel room, I definitely thought I would need the alarm on my cell phone. My first mistake, I was up, showered, dressed, and mostly packed by 7am. Called Disney dining at 7 and was put on hold. No surprises there. We decided to just hit the road. About 8:10 I finally got a live person. :banana:

So, she makes my Le Cellier reservation for lunch on a day other than my first choice, but who cares, we are going to Le Cellier! :banana:

We get into Tusker House shortly after 8am! :banana:

We get into Ohana at 7pm! :banana:

We get into 50's Prime Time Cafe at 7:10 (park closing at 7)!! :banana:

I hear an interesting beep, beep noise and then silence. Look at my cell phone - call was lost :scared1: :sad2: :eek: :sad1:

Apparently, cell reception just south of Columbia, SC is less than stellar.

I tell DH.

DH - Well they'll have the reservations you already made.

Me - Maybe, if she put them through.

DH - Did she take a call back number?

Me - No, Disney doesn't do that.

So, I get back on the phone and of course am back on hold. DH has lifted my spirits. The Disney reservationist had our resort reservation information, maybe she went ahead and booked the reservations we had already made and they would all be tied together and I could just make my last few and call it a day. DH suggests I call on his cell phone too, in case I were to get cut off again. 2 cell phones on hold with Disney - check.

By this time it is almost 9 and DD is not happy we haven't fed her yet so we decide to stop for breakfast. As soon as we place our order, Disney dining picks up! What timing, now DH can get all the food, drinks, and DD to the table by himself, I have business to attend to.

So I explain to the very nice CM how my earlier call was cut off and ask her to see if the reservations are attached to my resort reservation. She checked my name, my mom's name, my cell phone number, my home number - we have no dining reservations for our September trip. :eek:

Oh well, I've only lost an hour, how bad can it be?



I am not eating at Le Cellier. :scared1: :eek: :sad2: :sad1: :scared:

[scoot241]

Sorry to hear about the cell phone issues.

I didn't get Le Cellier and I called in at 7AM my first day. It was all booked up for the entire week already.

Not too worried about it though; doing Teppan Edo instead, and I did get CRT, Ohana and Chef Mickey's.

[lovedonaldduck]

Sorry to hear about the cell phone issues.

I didn't get Le Cellier and I called in at 7AM my first day. It was all booked up for the entire week already.

Not too worried about it though; doing Teppan Edo instead, and I did get CRT, Ohana and Chef Mickey's.

:welcome: My cell phone very rarely drops a call. Just my luck , the one call I didn't want it to drop.

I can't believe how popular Le Cellier is. I guess we will have to try again next trip. I hear great things about Teppan Edo, we ended up substituting Coral Reef which I am looking forward to. I think DD will love it, although she has done something similar with Sharks at Sea World. Sounds like you got great dining reservations. The adults must be taking Disney over when it is easier to get into CRT than Le Cellier. :upsidedow

I am heading over to check out your PTR now.

[Lynn5700]

HEY!!! I'm here!!! First your DD is adorable!!!

Second, I'm sorry about the ADR drama! That stinks about Le Cellier, but trust me, you can get a steak just as good at The Wave. Honestly, I think Le Cellier is a little over rated, maybe because I have been a couple times, so I don't feel like it is as special anymore. I do have to say though that they have the best mashed potatoes. But, they were the only reason I went there lol!

You will be fine without it, maybe next trip you can try it.

[lovedonaldduck]

HEY!!! I'm here!!! First your DD is adorable!!!

Second, I'm sorry about the ADR drama! That stinks about Le Cellier, but trust me, you can get a steak just as good at The Wave. Honestly, I think Le Cellier is a little over rated, maybe because I have been a couple times, so I don't feel like it is as special anymore. I do have to say though that they have the best mashed potatoes. But, they were the only reason I went there lol!

You will be fine without it, maybe next trip you can try it.

:welcome: So glad you stopped by. Thanks for saying my DD is adorable, I certainly think so. :)

I don't think the Le Cellier thing would bother me so much if I hadn't had it until the call got dropped. :scared: Oh well. We are so close to Disney I am sure we will eat there eventually. I am sure we will have plenty of good steak on our trip! :banana: I am looking forward to the Wave. I think your review really sealed the deal for me, we were already considering it because of the location but I know you and Tim loved it and I had read some mixed reviews so I figured we'd give it a try.

I think I will post an update tomorrow with all of our ADRs.

[lovedonaldduck]

So here are the ADRs we were able to get:

9/26 - Dinner at Kona Cafe
9/27 - Dinner at The Wave
9/28 - Early dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe
9/29 - Dinner at Raglan Road
9/30 - Dinner at Ohana
10/1 - Early dinner at Coral Reef
10/2 - Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House - before park opening :banana:

The Wave, Ohana, Coral Reef, and Tusker House will all be new for us this time. DD wants breakfast with Donald and I don't really think you can go wrong with a breakfast buffet. One character meal a trip is enough for us adults. I am looking forward to all of our meals this trip, so glad I have sold the family on the dining plan! :banana:

I will post our itinerary on Monday and then I will spend the next 2 months obsessing about whether I've got it right or not. :rotfl:

[Disney Dork in DFW]

I think it's somewhat ironic.

Obviously, Le Cellier is ridiculously popular, and so my wife and I figured that we wouldn't be able to get an ADR for our upcoming anniversary trip. Instead, we decided we were going to try the Rose and Crown pub at the UK Pavilion instead. We called back in May to ask for a noon reservation there on 7/31, and they said it was booked. I asked the reservationist if maybe Chefs de France or San Angel Inn was available.

She says, "No, I am sorry but it looks like the only reservation I can make is for Le Cellier at 12:00 noon." I nearly dropped the phone! What was even more surprising is that it was for noon, and not some bizarre time like 11:21 or something.

So that is our story for how we backed into reservations at the most popular restaurant in Epcot. Like my dad always says, I'd rather be lucky than good!

Have fun on your trip!

[KAMKIM]

I'm in!!! Cant wait to read more! popcorn::

Please check out my PTR too http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2225117 we leave in 3wks!!!!!

[KAMKIM]

I have decided to give a pre trip report a try.

Just a little bit of background, my first trip to the Magic Kingdom came in 2001 (I think). My DH and I had been married for a few months and friends of ours were Disney addicts: annual passes, MNSSHP, MVMCP, multiple trips each month; so they talked us into a trip. We enjoyed it, I had previously been to Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland so to me it was a little bit similar. What I most noticed on our trip was parents not watching their kids, dragging miserable kids around, and pushing strollers with kids not nearly old enough to be enjoying themselves. Isn't it amazing how much we know about parenting before we become parents:)? And how much it all changes when we become parents? Anyways, I decided then that when we had kids we would wait until they were old enough to really enjoy WDW before we went.

Well, DD is now 3 and we spent last year breaking her in on our Sea World annual passes so now she is a theme park pro. We decided instead of renewing our Sea World passes, zoo passes, and Alligator Farm passes, we would spring for a trip to Disney this year. My DH and I were discussing the trip over dinner one night and he suggested we invite my parents to join us - it was his idea! :lovestruc As long as it meant I didn't have to bring my MIL I was good with it and my husband assured me we didn't have to invite her.

So, I invited my parents and they were happy to join us. We ended up with 6 day hopper passes, dining, and 7 nights at FWC in April. We had such a great time we updgraded to seasonal passes and booked a return trip for September before leaving:banana::banana:! I also managed to sneak in a weekend trip before our passes were blacked out for the summer 2 weeks ago.

So now, September hours are out and I still have 2 weeks until I have to book my ADRs, regular dining plan, so I am trying to decide on which parks to visit on which days. That is what inspired me to start a pre-trip report, I need help! We require a break each day at midday. The other adults asked for more downtime on this trip. Epcot is the adults favorite park. Last time we neglected DHS, only ate at 50's Prime Time and saw an American Idol show before we called it a night. So this is what I am thinking:

Sunday 9/27 - MK
Monday 9/28 - DHS
Tuesday 9/29 - off morning, MNSSHP
Wednesday 9/30 - off morning, Epcot evening
Thursday 10/1 - AK morning, Epcot evening
Friday 10/2 - Epcot morning, MK evening

Here are my concerns -
9/27 - MK has evening EMH which we will not want to stay out for, so should we spend the evening elsewhere to avoid the crowds?
Will we have enough time at MK during the week? Not sure if we will be able to do candy, shows, parades, characters, and rides at MNSSHP. We plan on getting there as close to 4 as possible.
Do we have enough Epcot time during the week, as this is everyone's favorite? Even DD3.
http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu63/lovedonaldduck/2323232327Ffp433523Enu3D32393E93C3B.jpg

Let me know your thoughts. I will post my ADR ideas next.

As long as it meant I didn't have to bring my MIL I was good with it and my husband assured me we didn't have to invite her. ------that is the best part of this post :rotfl: and I can totally relate, my mom is coming along with us in August but if it was my MIL - ah I might have been tempted to book her flight one way :lmao:

[lovedonaldduck]

I think it's somewhat ironic.

Obviously, Le Cellier is ridiculously popular, and so my wife and I figured that we wouldn't be able to get an ADR for our upcoming anniversary trip. Instead, we decided we were going to try the Rose and Crown pub at the UK Pavilion instead. We called back in May to ask for a noon reservation there on 7/31, and they said it was booked. I asked the reservationist if maybe Chefs de France or San Angel Inn was available.

She says, "No, I am sorry but it looks like the only reservation I can make is for Le Cellier at 12:00 noon." I nearly dropped the phone! What was even more surprising is that it was for noon, and not some bizarre time like 11:21 or something.

So that is our story for how we backed into reservations at the most popular restaurant in Epcot. Like my dad always says, I'd rather be lucky than good!

Have fun on your trip!

:welcome: That is ironic. Enjoy your trip! Happy early anniversary. How many years?

I'm in!!! Cant wait to read more! popcorn::

Please check out my PTR too http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2225117 we leave in 3wks!!!!!

:welcome: 3 weeks will fly by! I see this is your first family trip, how exciting! :banana::banana: Your princesses will love it!

As long as it meant I didn't have to bring my MIL I was good with it and my husband assured me we didn't have to invite her. ------that is the best part of this post :rotfl: and I can totally relate, my mom is coming along with us in August but if it was my MIL - ah I might have been tempted to book her flight one way :lmao:

If my MIL was coming, I would probably be staying home. :lmao: I'm not sure there is enough pixie dust to make that an enjoyable trip. :wizard: I am so jealous of women that have wonderful relationships with their MILs, I wish that could be me, but unless I get a new husband or DH gets a new mother, I don't think that will be happening. :laughing:

[lovedonaldduck]

I am finally getting around to posting our itinerary. With our ADRs set, I don't expect it to change too much between now and the trip but I am a little indecisive (that might be a slight understatement :rolleyes:) so things may change. With our group, we will be taking a mid-day break back at the resort each and every day. My DD is not very pleasant without a nap and we all enjoy getting out of the heat and having a beverage before resuming our evening activities. :drinking1 I've even been known to take a little nap myself, I mean DD likes someone with her when she falls asleep, and since I am already there ;)

One thing about planning that has driven me nuts this time is timing our dinner ADRs at a time that allows for a midday break and some evening park touring. It seems no restaurants serve dinner before 5 which leaves almost no touring time at all if we are heading back out from our rest around 3 (just my best guess). Also, my parents tend to eat dinner early so I couldn't push back our meals too much. Hopefully my schedule will give us enough park time and feed everyone on a schedule to minimize crankiness. :goodvibes We'll see.

Day 1
Arrive at the resort around 3pm and check in (we will be using online check in, I love this option :love:)
Dinner at Kona Cafe - 7:05 pm

Day 2
Epcot rope drop
Lunch at either Cantina de San Angel or Sunshine Seasons
Break
Magic Kingdom afternoon
Dinner at The Wave - 7:20 pm
Magic Kingdom has EMH until 11pm so hopefully we can take advantage of a little extra touring time - my parents are not night owls so we will see

Day 3
DHS rope drop
Lunch at Starring Rolls Cafe (not sure about this one, we have never had any counter service at DHS so I am not sure which is best, I may spend some more time checking menus :confused3)
Break
Dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe - 4:20 pm
DHS evening

Day 4
Sleep in - no morning plans
Nap
Dinner at Raglan Road - 4 pm
MNSSHP - we are going to tour as long as DD is having fun. She is going to be a pirate pirate:. She is too cute in her costume. :cutie:

Day 5
Sleep in - no morning plans (hopefully we will have been out until midnight the previous night :thumbsup2)
Nap
Magic Kingdom afternoon
Dinner at Ohana - 7 pm

Day 6
Magic Kingdom EMH
Early lunch at Cosmic Rays
Break
Dinner at Coral Reef - 4:10 pm
Epcot evening

Day 7
Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House at 8:05 am (before park opening :woohoo:)
Animal Kingdom morning
Lunch at Flame Tree BBQ
Break
Epcot afternoon/evening

Day 8
Departure day

Let me know what you think.

[KAMKIM]

I am finally getting around to posting our itinerary. With our ADRs set, I don't expect it to change too much between now and the trip but I am a little indecisive (that might be a slight understatement :rolleyes:) so things may change. With our group, we will be taking a mid-day break back at the resort each and every day. My DD is not very pleasant without a nap and we all enjoy getting out of the heat and having a beverage before resuming our evening activities. :drinking1 I've even been known to take a little nap myself, I mean DD likes someone with her when she falls asleep, and since I am already there ;)

One thing about planning that has driven me nuts this time is timing our dinner ADRs at a time that allows for a midday break and some evening park touring. It seems no restaurants serve dinner before 5 which leaves almost no touring time at all if we are heading back out from our rest around 3 (just my best guess). Also, my parents tend to eat dinner early so I couldn't push back our meals too much. Hopefully my schedule will give us enough park time and feed everyone on a schedule to minimize crankiness. :goodvibes We'll see.

Day 1
Arrive at the resort around 3pm and check in (we will be using online check in, I love this option :love:)
Dinner at Kona Cafe - 7:05 pm

Day 2
Epcot rope drop
Lunch at either Cantina de San Angel or Sunshine Seasons
Break
Magic Kingdom afternoon
Dinner at The Wave - 7:20 pm
Magic Kingdom has EMH until 11pm so hopefully we can take advantage of a little extra touring time - my parents are not night owls so we will see

Day 3
DHS rope drop
Lunch at Starring Rolls Cafe (not sure about this one, we have never had any counter service at DHS so I am not sure which is best, I may spend some more time checking menus :confused3)
Break
Dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe - 4:20 pm
DHS evening

Day 4
Sleep in - no morning plans
Nap
Dinner at Raglan Road - 4 pm
MNSSHP - we are going to tour as long as DD is having fun. She is going to be a pirate pirate:. She is too cute in her costume. :cutie:

Day 5
Sleep in - no morning plans (hopefully we will have been out until midnight the previous night :thumbsup2)
Nap
Magic Kingdom afternoon
Dinner at Ohana - 7 pm

Day 6
Magic Kingdom EMH
Early lunch at Cosmic Rays
Break
Dinner at Coral Reef - 4:10 pm
Epcot evening

Day 7
Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House at 8:05 am (before park opening :woohoo:)
Animal Kingdom morning
Lunch at Flame Tree BBQ
Break
Epcot afternoon/evening

Day 8
Departure day

Let me know what you think.

Looks awesome! I dont know if we'll be taking advantage of the EMH - although since school let out I guess my kids have been sleeping in alittle later...we'll see.

What are you plans for dinner on day 7?

[lovedonaldduck]

We didn't get to any evening EMH on our last trip, the rest of the group just doesn't have the stamina I do. :lmao: Morning EMH work well for us, we were able to see a lot with smaller crowds and I am really the only one in the group who really likes to sleep in but I don't mind sacrificing that for park time.

Dinner our last night will probably just be snacking around World Showcase since we will be there for the Food and Wine Festival. I love the pretzels in Germany but they are really filling so I'm happy to not have dinner plans this night. I can get my pretzel and maybe find some new favorites. :love:

[wsushocker]

My mom threw a wrench in the Labor Day plans this weekend, she does not want to go to Epcot on this trip.

That is not a wrench, that is the entire workshop! :scared1:

How can anyone go to Disneyworld and NOT go to EPCOT? :eek:

OK, I will keep reading and hopefully the news will get better! :)

[KAMKIM]

We didn't get to any evening EMH on our last trip, the rest of the group just doesn't have the stamina I do. :lmao: Morning EMH work well for us, we were able to see a lot with smaller crowds and I am really the only one in the group who really likes to sleep in but I don't mind sacrificing that for park time.

Dinner our last night will probably just be snacking around World Showcase since we will be there for the Food and Wine Festival. I love the pretzels in Germany but they are really filling so I'm happy to not have dinner plans this night. I can get my pretzel and maybe find some new favorites. :love:

I see - I have to get up early everyday to go to work but when I have the option of sleeping in its really hard to convince me to get up early unless its black Friday or christmas morning :lmao:

[lovedonaldduck]

That is not a wrench, that is the entire workshop! :scared1:

How can anyone go to Disneyworld and NOT go to EPCOT? :eek:

OK, I will keep reading and hopefully the news will get better! :)

I know, Epcot is my favorite. :love: Or is it Magic Kingdom? I love them both. :lovestruc For the Labor Day trip, we will only be in Orlando overnight so we are only going to hit two parks: DHS and AK. The good news is we will be back the last week of September for the whole week and I am scheduling lots of Epcot time for that trip. ;)


I see - I have to get up early everyday to go to work but when I have the option of sleeping in its really hard to convince me to get up early unless its black Friday or christmas morning :lmao:

I don't do black Friday, can't deal with the crowds. :scared1:

I find it much easier to get up early in Disney than I do to get up and go to work each morning. :rotfl: Maybe if I could work at Disney that would help my motivation on workdays. ;)

[jenjolt]

OY no EPCOT...that just aint right!! However you will have a lot of fun at the two parks you did choose!!!!

Subbing in!! Can't wait to hear more!!!

[lovedonaldduck]

:welcome: We were able to spend a weekend at MK and Epcot in May so I am okay with missing Epcot this time. It helps that we will be back 3 weeks later. :goodvibes

[lovedonaldduck]

I have a confession, I can be a little bit of a park touring commando. :rolleyes: However, the longest line we waited in last trip was 20 minutes for Dumbo, so I do believe in touring plans. This trip I am hoping to balance the best of both worlds, I will have a touring plan but I will be flexible if others don't want to follow it exactly. I love having direction - when we get off of a ride I want to know which ride is next so we can keep moving. So, with that in mind, I am going to post my tentative touring plans for each day.

First full day

Rope drop at Epcot
My mom and DD will head for fastpasses at Test Track while my dad, DH, and I will head to ride Soarin' (Mom won't ride Soarin', she doesn't like motion simulators)
We will meet up after Soarin' and ride Living with the Land
We may try Journey into the Imagination with Figment - I am trying to figure out why I avoided this last time? I feel like I either read somewhere that it was boring, or might be scary for DD?
After Figment, we will use our Fastpasses to ride Test Track
Let DD play in the fountains for about 30 minutes - some of the adults will head to World Showcase to bring back beverages while we watch her play
I am thinking by now we will be hungry for lunch, either at Cantina de San Angel or Sunshine Seasons
I would like to ride Gran Fiesta Tour, we haven't made that one yet
By this point it should be time to head back to the resort for our daily rest, hoping to be at the resort by 1
We should be up from our rest and on to Magic Kingdom by 4
I think we will start off with a ride on the train - although, now seeing this in writing, I don't think I can forgo Main Street and the castle so I think we will be saving the train for later
See the Country Bear Jamboree
Ride or fastpass Thunder Mountain for the adults, not sure if mom will do this one or not
Check out the Hall of Presidents (DH's request, I'm not that interested and don't know how DD will do)
Maybe ride the Riverboat
If there is time, maybe check out Carousel of Progress - I don't think any of us have ever done this one
Then we will head out to dinner at The Wave - 7:20 reservation
MK is having evening EMH tonight so if anyone is feeling up to it we may head back out, but I will probably be the only one who wants to keep going :yay:


So there is day one. I can never tell if I am trying to put too much in or if I am not putting enough in and will end up getting through the list before it is time to move on. :confused3 I try to err on the side of having too many things to do, we can always pick up on the list when we return to the park. At Epcot, my one deadline will be to have DD in the fountain by 11am at the latest so she can have time to do what she wants to do before we all get too hungry and cranky.

At MK we are hitting a lot of smaller things because I want to try to hit everything that will not be open for MNSSHP.

Let me know what you think.

[KAMKIM]

Wow you are so detailed - maybe I should do the same thing with our trip?? I'd hate to miss anything but the thought of making a touring plan scares me - seems like a lot of work and well, I'm kind of lazy now that the trip is 2wks away. Do you think I should have a touring plan with 3 kids in tow??:confused3

[KAMKIM]

My other fear (other than just being lazy) is that I haven't been there since I was 12 so I dont really know whats there and I'm afraid if I plan too much we'll miss stuff

[lovedonaldduck]

If you check out www.touringplans.com, I think for like $9 you can get access to all of their touring plans, and they have a lot. I take their plans and then modify them based on my family - for example, DD was scared on Buzz Lightyear and Peter Pan last time, so we just skip over those. What I like about a touring plan is it eliminates the whole, what should we do now conversation that you normally have every 30 minutes or so. It gives your days some direction. The thing to remember is it is a guideline, so if you walk by a character the kids want to meet, or a ride they can't wait for, you just go ahead and do it and then jump back into the plan. It is really just a guideline, but I think it helped minimize our waits in April. Check out the website, they have some free touring plans you can view without purchasing so you can get an idea if it would work for you or not.

[lovedonaldduck]

I checked out a ton of guidebooks from the library before our trip because we had only been once and that was just a day trip to Magic Kingdom. I think the good thing about the website I recommended is their is a guidebook associated with it so you can look up details on rides, resorts, and restaurants if you are a member just like you would if you had the physical book. There's no one you'll be able to see everything, but when you read through the ride descriptions you can narrow down what you want to see so you only spend time seeing the stuff highest on your list. Another idea I have read that I would love to try is letting each person in your group pick one or two must dos at each park and you can just hit that list and then if there is time you can do other attractions. I would think that would help keep everyone happy too, since they all get to do their favorites.

[lovedonaldduck]

I am hoping to spend my lunch hour working on our Disney plans so I can update with Day 2 of our trip this afternoon or sometime tomorrow.

[KAMKIM]

I am hoping to spend my lunch hour working on our Disney plans so I can update with Day 2 of our trip this afternoon or sometime tomorrow.

Cant wait to see day 2....maybe I'll just steal your touring plans :rotfl:

[KAMKIM]

Of course if I steal your plan you will need to come up with 5 more days and post them within the next 2 wks LOL

You mentioned you never know if you plan too much or too little - if it ends up being too little I'd move on to the next list for that park - and start at the top...that way after its all said and done you can just relax and do some things twice maybe

[lovedonaldduck]

Cant wait to see day 2....maybe I'll just steal your touring plans :rotfl:

Of course if I steal your plan you will need to come up with 5 more days and post them within the next 2 wks LOL

You mentioned you never know if you plan too much or too little - if it ends up being too little I'd move on to the next list for that park - and start at the top...that way after its all said and done you can just relax and do some things twice maybe

If there is anything at all in my plans that you can use, steal away. I'm not sure I will get 5 more days done in the next two weeks, but you never know, I am going to try to plan day 3 at lunch today, so maybe I'll make it.

The way it worked out last time, we never made it through one of my plans all the way, so I guess I plan too much and not too little. :rotfl: Oh well, I'd rather be over prepared.

[lovedonaldduck]

Day 2

This day is a full Hollywood Studios day!


Get to the park by rope drop
Head for Toy Story Mania, ride if wait is up to 30 minutes, otherwise Fastpass - if we ride and DD likes it, we will Fastpass once we get off the ride for later in the day
See Voyage of the Little Mermaid
See Playhouse Disney - if I can convince the adults to sit on the floor :laughing:
Ride Star Tours - I need to check with my Dad and DH to see if they have any interest in this one, I can take it or leave it and my mom doesn't do motion simulators and DD is not tall enough
See MuppetVision 3D
Let DD play in the Honey I Shrunk the kids playground - while she is playing, if we have reached our Toy Story Mania fastpass time, I will run and fastpass Tower of Terror
Lunch - still trying to figure out which counter service, maybe Backlot Express
Break time - if possible, fastpass Rockin Roller Coaster before leaving
We should be back to the park just in time to check in for our 4:20 at 50's Prime Time Cafe, if we have to wait for our table and still need fastpasses for anything, I will run and get them
After dinner we will have to use all of our fastpasses, Tower of Terror, Rockin Roller Coaster, and Toy Story Mania
I think this will get us to park closing, if not Beauty and the Beast
Indiana Jones
American Idol
Backlot Tour


On our last trip all we got to do at DHS was American Idol (bad timing on our dinner reservation plus a ridiculously long wait) so I still have way too much on our to do list for this day. Hopefully, we can get through a lot of this on our Labor Day trip and then I can tweak these plans accordingly. Something that is not on the list that is a must do is taking DD to meet characters at the animation studio.

[BrooklynnsMommy]

Just wanted to let you know about MNSSHP. I would be over in line at Mickey's Judges tent before the official start of the party if you want pictures with him and Minnie in their costumes. I would definitely catch the parade and the Villians Mix and Mingle in front of the castle. The candy trail that is located between ToonTown and Tomorrowland gives you a lot of candy without having to stand in line. We didn't really ride anything either time we have been. We just concentrated on getting the things done that we wouldn't be able to do on a regular Magic Kingdom Day. You can read pictures from our first MNSSHP on our Baby and the Tramp report starting on page 45.

[lovedonaldduck]

:welcome: Thanks so much for coming over to my pre-trip report, I am loving reading yours. And thank you for the information about MNSSHP, I went right over and read your past trip report, thanks for the perspective. I had it in my head that we could do all the Halloween stuff and still get a ton of rides in, but that doesn't seem very likely. I think I will be modifying our MNSSHP plans today. Do you remember what time you guys got to the park and what time you left when you did the party? Did it feel very crowded?

[lovedonaldduck]

Good news - last night DH said he was ready for our trip already. I mentioned that our passes are only blacked out until August 13th so we could squeeze in a trip before our Labor Day trip and he said yes! So, we are headed down for a day trip to Magic Kingdom (DD's request) on August 15th! :yay: DH doesn't want a sit down meal so we are all set.

I am starting to stress out a little trying to simultaneously plan 3 trips. The more I am looking at my plans, the more I am wanting to change things so I think I am going to go back to the drawing board. Tonight is DH's night to put DD to bed so I am going to use that time to myself to start over.

I am also working on dates and renting DVC points for our 2010 trip. I guess if I have to be overwhelmed by something, at least I am glad it is Disney. :laughing:

[Charleston Princess]

Just wanted to let you know that I am here -- I am headed back to the beginning to catch up! :goodvibes

[lovedonaldduck]

:welcome: Glad you made it over. There isn't too much to catch up but I am working on it.

[lovedonaldduck]

I was making myself crazy trying to plan our family vacation at the end of September when we have 2 weekend trips planned between now and then. So I decided to start at the beginning and work from there. For our weekend trips, since we don't know exactly what time we will be arriving I decided not to use touring plans. :scared1: I can't believe it myself. What we are doing is each picking two attractions that we don't want to miss and incorporating that into the plans for the day. I still don't know if my mom will be joining us for the day trip in August and she is on vacation this week so I don't have her picks for the other parks so I will have to fill those in later. This is what we have so far:

Magic Kingdom
DD - Dumbo and Peter Pan - the child did not like Peter Pan at all in April but is now in love with Tinkerbell. I reminded her last night that she didn't care for Peter Pan last time, and her response was "Well Mommy, we can still try it again." :rotfl: I told her we might not be able to ride Dumbo (my maximum wait time for a ride is about 30 minutes and I am pretty sure we will miss rope drop since we will be driving down that morning, so Dumbo's wait might be too long for us) so she chose meeting Ariel as her back up.
DH - Pirates of the Caribbean and Hall of Presidents - no surprise there
Me - I discovered something last night, I don't really have MK favorites :confused3, I think I just love it all. If my mom decides to come, my choices will be Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (only DH and I will ride) and Astro Orbiter. We have never done Astro Orbiter so I'd like to give it a try. If my mom doesn't come, I will chose Goofy's Barnstormer instead of BTMRR.
Mom - don't know yet

Hollywood Studios
DD - Toy Story Mania and Playhouse Disney Live
DH - hasn't decided yet
Me - Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster
Mom - don't know yet

Animal Kingdom
DD - Safari and train
DH - Safari and train (I called that one too)
Me - Expedition Everest and Maharajah Jungle Trek
Mom - don't know yet

Once I have my mom's choices I will try to put them into some kind of touring plan order so we are not walking back and forth across the parks all day. We will be catching extra magic hours at AK and since DH and DD chose the same attractions, I think I may make this 3 choices each.

I feel so much better with those 3 days "planned" (at least I have a plan to plan them :lmao:). Next I am going to revisit the family vacation and start getting that in some order.

[Lady Lallie]

Just wanted to tell you that I'm here and caught up!

Your plans look great so far! :thumbsup2

[KAMKIM]

[QUOTE=lovedonaldduck;32842429]Good news - last night DH said he was ready for our trip already. I mentioned that our passes are only blacked out until August 13th so we could squeeze in a trip before our Labor Day trip and he said yes! So, we are headed down for a day trip to Magic Kingdom (DD's request) on August 15th! :yay: DH doesn't want a sit down meal so we are all set.

I am starting to stress out a little trying to simultaneously plan 3 trips. The more I am looking at my plans, the more I am wanting to change things so I think I am going to go back to the drawing board. Tonight is DH's night to put DD to bed so I am going to use that time to myself to start over.

I am also working on dates and renting DVC points for our 2010 trip. I guess if I have to be overwhelmed by something, at least I am glad it is Disney. :laughing:[/QUO

how awesome is that!?!?!?! :banana: Too bad we'll miss you guys by 2 days! My DH and I alternate days putting the girls to bed too - he does bathes, I do bed, I do bathes, he does bed...works out quite nicely for us.

[KAMKIM]

I was making myself crazy trying to plan our family vacation at the end of September when we have 2 weekend trips planned between now and then. So I decided to start at the beginning and work from there. For our weekend trips, since we don't know exactly what time we will be arriving I decided not to use touring plans. :scared1: I can't believe it myself. What we are doing is each picking two attractions that we don't want to miss and incorporating that into the plans for the day. I still don't know if my mom will be joining us for the day trip in August and she is on vacation this week so I don't have her picks for the other parks so I will have to fill those in later. This is what we have so far:

Magic Kingdom
DD - Dumbo and Peter Pan - the child did not like Peter Pan at all in April but is now in love with Tinkerbell. I reminded her last night that she didn't care for Peter Pan last time, and her response was "Well Mommy, we can still try it again." :rotfl: I told her we might not be able to ride Dumbo (my maximum wait time for a ride is about 30 minutes and I am pretty sure we will miss rope drop since we will be driving down that morning, so Dumbo's wait might be too long for us) so she chose meeting Ariel as her back up.
DH - Pirates of the Caribbean and Hall of Presidents - no surprise there
Me - I discovered something last night, I don't really have MK favorites :confused3, I think I just love it all. If my mom decides to come, my choices will be Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (only DH and I will ride) and Astro Orbiter. We have never done Astro Orbiter so I'd like to give it a try. If my mom doesn't come, I will chose Goofy's Barnstormer instead of BTMRR.
Mom - don't know yet

Hollywood Studios
DD - Toy Story Mania and Playhouse Disney Live
DH - hasn't decided yet
Me - Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster
Mom - don't know yet

Animal Kingdom
DD - Safari and train
DH - Safari and train (I called that one too)
Me - Expedition Everest and Maharajah Jungle Trek
Mom - don't know yet

Once I have my mom's choices I will try to put them into some kind of touring plan order so we are not walking back and forth across the parks all day. We will be catching extra magic hours at AK and since DH and DD chose the same attractions, I think I may make this 3 choices each.

I feel so much better with those 3 days "planned" (at least I have a plan to plan them :lmao:). Next I am going to revisit the family vacation and start getting that in some order.

Well the one good thing about not having a tour plan for the 2 weekends is that you know you are going back so anything you dont see, you'll be able to plan better for your next trip. I envy you that you live so darn close :rolleyes: How long of a drive is it for you guys anyways? What is this train you mention for Animal Kingdom?

[lovedonaldduck]

We are about 2 and a half hours away, not too bad at all. When we did day trips to Sea World last year, DH would drive down in the morning and I would drive home in the afternoon and it worked out well.

There is a train at Animal Kingdom that takes you to the Conservation Station. We've never done this, but from what I've read, there is a chance you can see animals with the vets, getting a check up or a small procedure done at an observation area looking through glass. There is also a petting zoo area with goats. It has never sounded too interesting to me but DH and DD love trains, and DD loves animals so we are going to give it a try.

[lovedonaldduck]

Just wanted to tell you that I'm here and caught up!

Your plans look great so far! :thumbsup2

:welcome: Thanks for joining! Sorry I missed you last week, not sure how that happened. I feel much better now that I have tackled our shorter trips first, now I'm ready to move on to the week long trip!

[jenjolt]

Wow I'm loving your plans!!!! You really do have your ducks in a row!!!!! Also enjoyed reading your must dos!!!! You guys are going to have so much fun!!

Can't wait to hear more about your trips!!

[Lynn5700]

We are about 2 and a half hours away, not too bad at all. When we did day trips to Sea World last year, DH would drive down in the morning and I would drive home in the afternoon and it worked out well.

There is a train at Animal Kingdom that takes you to the Conservation Station. We've never done this, but from what I've read, there is a chance you can see animals with the vets, getting a check up or a small procedure done at an observation area looking through glass. There is also a petting zoo area with goats. It has never sounded too interesting to me but DH and DD love trains, and DD loves animals so we are going to give it a try.

I wish I lived that close!! Lucky!!

We have never been over to that area either. Next trip we are definitely doing it.

[Raecheal]

I"m still here and reading along with your plans...popcorn:: Your only 2 1/2 hours away... oh.. that would be amazing.

[lovedonaldduck]

Wow I'm loving your plans!!!! You really do have your ducks in a row!!!!! Also enjoyed reading your must dos!!!! You guys are going to have so much fun!!

Can't wait to hear more about your trips!!

I am really excited. I don't think we will get annual passes again next year so we are trying to take advantage of them while we have them.

My plans may be a little detailed but I am a list person, and last trip I had everything planned out so I think my family expects it now. I don't want to disappoint them. ;) I really hate trying to figure out what to do next every 10 minutes so this keeps us on track. Although I am the only one following the plan so if anyone in the group sees something shiny, we go off in a different direction. :lmao: Sometimes I need to remind myself to go with the flow.

I wish I lived that close!! Lucky!!

We have never been over to that area either. Next trip we are definitely doing it.

It is really great living so close. Last year we did so many trips to Sea World and it was great to just do day trips or go ahead and stay in a hotel for a weekend trip when the budget allowed. I need to get my DH to stay in a Value so we can spend more weekends at Disney.

I am really not that excited about checking out the Conservation Station but I am going to go with an open mind. DH and DD love trains so we'll have that, and maybe we'll get to see an animal having a procedure. I hear you can meet Pocahontas and Jiminy Cricket with little wait and we haven't seen them before so that will be good. I am a little worried about the goat petting area. We have one at our zoo and it takes a lot to pull DD away from it. She is such an animal lover. :love:

I"m still here and reading along with your plans...popcorn:: Your only 2 1/2 hours away... oh.. that would be amazing.

Glad you are still along for the ride. Is your trip this weekend? I need to head over to your PTR and refresh my memory. We are really trying to take advantage of being so close. :yay:

[lovedonaldduck]

I decided a couple of weeks ago that I needed a new camera for our upcoming trips. I think I have the first version of a digital camera that they came out with. :laughing: My father in law gave it to me for Christmas in 2000, I believe. The delay on the camera is so bad I always miss pictures of DD since her attention span is almost non-existent. So I had planted the idea with my family and my parents even offered to get the camera as my birthday present but I wasn't sure what I wanted.

So, this weekend we had to go shopping for a new TV - our less than 3 year old TV completely died about a month ago and DH has been very patient with getting it replaced. Since all of the stores that sell TVs also sell cameras, I spent some time looking to figure out what I wanted.

This was a rough weekend on the pocketbook. Saturday we got the new TV (50" plasma, poor DH, we had a 56" before but that wasn't in the budget this time). Sunday DH had to get a new lawn mower, ours died a couple of weeks ago and he had been using his mom's but we really need our own so he doesn't have to haul one back and forth. Lawn mowers are much more expensive than either one of us thought, but oh well, we have to have it. So last night I figured I would go check out a camera I had seen that was on sale this week.

The camera worked out to be just what I was looking for and it was a $199 camera on sale for $99. I got a 4GB memory card, rechargeable batteries, and a battery recharger for under $150. I was very happy. I got a Nikon Coolpix P60. Not the top of the line, but it has everything I need, fireworks mode, museum mode, sports mood, and not too much of a delay between pictures. I can't wait to try it out in Disney in 3 weeks! :yay:

[Charleston Princess]

Woo hoo for the new camera!!! :banana: I got my first digital at Christmas and have loved it ever since!

[lovedonaldduck]

I remember reading your first trip report and being completely shocked that you did not have a digital camera. :rotfl:

I am really happy with it, I think it will do everything I want it to do and solve some of the problems I have been having with the old one. I'm really excited that I have 2 mini trips to try it out on before the big vacation too.

[lovedonaldduck]

I have been hard at work on my touring plans for the big September trip. I think I have them down, although DHS, AK, and Epcot plans may change based on our trips between now and then.

Day One

• Epcot at rope drop
• DH, my dad, and I will ride Soarin’ :lovestruc, my mom and DD will be on fastpass duty for Test Track
• Living with the Land
• Journey into the Imagination with Figment (this will be a first)
• Ride Test Track
• Let DD play in the fountains
• Lunch at Cantina de San Angel (maybe Sunshine Seasons)
• Gran Fiesta Tour (this will be a first)
• Back to resort for rest
• Magic Kingdom around 4:00
• Country Bear Jamboree
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Liberty Belle Riverboat (this will be a first)
• Carousel of Progress (this will be a first)
• Dinner at The Wave 7:20pm (this will be a first)
• Magic Kingdom has EMH until 11pm so I am hoping I can convince everyone to head back to MK
• Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Tomorrowland Indy Speedway
• Winnie the Pooh

I hope I can get everyone to go out for EMH but I am not holding my breath. For those of you who have ridden the Figment ride, is there anything in it that is scary? Is it a very long ride? There is some reason I skipped this before and I can't think of what it was. :confused3

[Charleston Princess]

Nope, I don't think Journey into the Imagination is scary at all -- it is a very short ride and we have never encountered a line for it -- it's cute and DD would probably like it!

[lovedonaldduck]

Thanks for the info, I think we will give Figment a try in September. I will let you know how DD likes it.

[Lady Lallie]

I don't think Figment is scary at all, I bet your DD will love it. :thumbsup2

[lovedonaldduck]

Here is the touring plan for our Hollywood Studios day.

Day Two
• DHS at rope drop
• Toy Story Midway Mania (first time)
• See Beauty and the Beast (first time)
• Star Tours – only if my dad is interested (first time)
• Magic of Disney Animation for character greetings (first time)
• Muppetvision 3D (first time)
• Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set (first time)
• Lunch – I have no idea where since we have never done counter service at DHS, I am going to study menus and locations and see if I can make a decision
• Fastpass Rock N Roller Coaster or Tower of Terror on our way out of the park for our afternoon break (I may do this while DD is playing at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set)
• Back to resort for rest
• Back to DHS by 3:30
• Fastpass whichever we didn’t on the way out
• Dinner at 50’s Prime Time Café 4:10pm
• Ride ToT (first time)
• Ride RnRC (first time)
• Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular (first time)
• American Idol Experience
• Backlot Tour (first time)
• Since DHS is only open until 7pm, I am going to push for us to swing by either MK (open until 9) or Epcot (EMH until midnight)

I am not happy with the time of our dinner reservation at all. Last time we had a reservation at about the same time and by the time we were seated (we waited forever) and ate, we only had time to get the American Idol Experience in before park closing. I am going to try to move this later as we get closer to our trip.

Does anyone know of any good counter service at DHS?

[lovedonaldduck]

I don't think Figment is scary at all, I bet your DD will love it. :thumbsup2

Thanks. I think we are going to give it a try!

[Charleston Princess]

We really like Backlot Express as a counter service. It is tucked in between Star Tours and Indiana Jones, and is usually very quiet with lots of seating.

[lovedonaldduck]

I think we may end up at Backlot Express, I checked out the menu and I think it will work for us. Thanks for the recommendation. :thumbsup2

[lovedonaldduck]

Our third full day we are planning on heading to MNSSHP. I want to make sure we get the most out of the party, so we are going to sleep in and take it easy until dinner time so hopefully we can make it until close to the end of the party. On a normal night DD will stay up until 10pm if we let her, so I am thinking with sleeping in and a restful morning she might be able to make it a little later than that. My parents will probably be more of a challenge. ;) They are not old by any means but my mom loves to go to bed early - I would say before 9pm every night. :confused3

I am going to talk to my mom this weekend, I think we may add a photo shoot on this trip. I think it would be nice for DD to be able to get pictures with her grandparents and then I wouldn't have to get Christmas pictures taken this year. ;) If we decide on a photo shoot, this morning might be a good time to fit that in.

Day Three
• Sleep in
• Breakfast at resort
• Pool time
• DD nap
• Head to Downtown Disney
• Dinner at Raglan Road 4pm
• Magic Kingdom for MNSSHP!
• Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse
• Haunted Mansion
• Adventureland characters
• Storytelling in Liberty Square
• Villain Show
• Boo to You Parade
• Dance Party at Cosmic Ray’s
• Alice in Wonderland Treat Path
• Hallowishes
• Tommorland Transit Authority
• Monster Inc. Laugh Floor
• Mad Tea Party
• Cinderella’s Carrousel
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic

Since we have never been to MNSSHP I have no idea if my plans are reasonable or not. I think we will be at MK around 5:30, so we should be able to get some attractions done before party start time. I want to make sure DD gets to experience everything party related, so I just plan on fitting in the rides around that. Maybe we won't get on any rides after 7, depending on how busy we are with the characters, shows, parade, and fireworks. :confused3 This is going to be one night when I just go with the flow.

[lovedonaldduck]

I have been hearing a lot lately about Tour Guide Mike, does anyone have any experience with him? I already have a subscription to the Ultimate Guide Touring Plans. I'm not sure if I should add Tour Guide Mike or maybe Passporter or if what I have is enough? :confused3 Any thoughts?

[KAMKIM]

:)I decided a couple of weeks ago that I needed a new camera for our upcoming trips. I think I have the first version of a digital camera that they came out with. :laughing: My father in law gave it to me for Christmas in 2000, I believe. The delay on the camera is so bad I always miss pictures of DD since her attention span is almost non-existent. So I had planted the idea with my family and my parents even offered to get the camera as my birthday present but I wasn't sure what I wanted.

So, this weekend we had to go shopping for a new TV - our less than 3 year old TV completely died about a month ago and DH has been very patient with getting it replaced. Since all of the stores that sell TVs also sell cameras, I spent some time looking to figure out what I wanted.

This was a rough weekend on the pocketbook. Saturday we got the new TV (50" plasma, poor DH, we had a 56" before but that wasn't in the budget this time). Sunday DH had to get a new lawn mower, ours died a couple of weeks ago and he had been using his mom's but we really need our own so he doesn't have to haul one back and forth. Lawn mowers are much more expensive than either one of us thought, but oh well, we have to have it. So last night I figured I would go check out a camera I had seen that was on sale this week.

The camera worked out to be just what I was looking for and it was a $199 camera on sale for $99. I got a 4GB memory card, rechargeable batteries, and a battery recharger for under $150. I was very happy. I got a Nikon Coolpix P60. Not the top of the line, but it has everything I need, fireworks mode, museum mode, sports mood, and not too much of a delay between pictures. I can't wait to try it out in Disney in 3 weeks! :yay:

ouch sounds like an expensive day out LOL But I love the nikon Coolpix!!! And $150 for all that is not bad at all...My camera isn't old but I still wanted a new one before Disney...probably not gonna happen :) Maybe before the next trip.

3 more weeks for you :)

[scoot241]

I have been hearing a lot lately about Tour Guide Mike, does anyone have any experience with him? I already have a subscription to the Ultimate Guide Touring Plans. I'm not sure if I should add Tour Guide Mike or maybe Passporter or if what I have is enough? :confused3 Any thoughts?

I'm not going to be much help here. I had the Ultimate Guide for Disneyland when my wife and I went on our honeymoon. I really didn't like that book. The attempts at humor and the comics just got on my nerves. So based on that, I wouldn't subscribe to the Ultimate Guide Touring Plans.

The book I did get this year was The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World 2009. This book is more beautiful than Birnbaum's and it's much more informative and neutral. It has lots of background information and other little hints, including the best way to score big points on Buzz and TSM. I know all that information is on the web, but I thought it was neat that it was in a book.

[lovedonaldduck]

:)

ouch sounds like an expensive day out LOL But I love the nikon Coolpix!!! And $150 for all that is not bad at all...My camera isn't old but I still wanted a new one before Disney...probably not gonna happen :) Maybe before the next trip.

3 more weeks for you :)

It was a ridiculously expensive weekend, if not for this weekend our September trip would now be paid off. Oh well, we still have a few more paydays before we hit 45 days.

I think a new digital camera for your birthday sounds great! :rotfl: I got the great deal at Office Max. They also have some at Best Buy for around $117.

I'm not going to be much help here. I had the Ultimate Guide for Disneyland when my wife and I went on our honeymoon. I really didn't like that book. The attempts at humor and the comics just got on my nerves. So based on that, I wouldn't subscribe to the Ultimate Guide Touring Plans.

The book I did get this year was The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World 2009. This book is more beautiful than Birnbaum's and it's much more informative and neutral. It has lots of background information and other little hints, including the best way to score big points on Buzz and TSM. I know all that information is on the web, but I thought it was neat that it was in a book.

I read every Disney guidebook the library had in preparation for our April trip. I was not thrilled with the Ultimate Guide either, but I loved that they had touring plans so that sucked me into the website, plus it was only like $9. I think I am going to hold off on adding another subscription right now. The touring plans I used in April seemed to work and I have modified from their touring plans for the next trip so I am probably not going to gain anything by adding something new. May cause information overload at this point. :rotfl2:

[lovedonaldduck]

I will be doing some serious Disney planning this weekend. My dad travels for his job and he leaves on Sunday for 5 weeks so tomorrow I have to tie up all of the loose ends with my parents for our Disney planning. We have to cover the following:

• Will my mom be joining us for our Magic Kingdom trip?
• Can my aunt watch the dogs for our Magic Kingdom trip?
• Should we spend the night at my grandma’s after the Magic Kingdom trip?
• Should we schedule a photoshoot for our September trip?
• Do we need to reserve a boat for the September trip?
• I need my mom’s top two ride/attraction choices for Animal Kingdom and DHS, and MK if she is joining us.
• When are we taking our 2010 vacation?
• Where do we want to stay for our 2010 vacation?
• What kind of shirts will we be wearing for MNSSHP?

Hopefully that is everything. It looks like I will have quite an update to post on Monday. :thumbsup2

[lovedonaldduck]

After our last trip, the other adults asked if we could build some down time into our next trip which is why we have no real plans for 2 mornings of the trip. I'm also hoping taking the morning of MNSSHP off will help us to stay out later that night and will make us want to take the next morning off.

Day Four
• Sleep in
• Breakfast at resort
• Pool time
• DD nap
• Magic Kingdom around 3pm
• It’s a Small World
• Peter Pan
• Dumbo (depending on line)
• Toontown – Mickey’s House, Donald’s Boat, meet Mickey, meet Fairies
• Railroad to exit
• Dinner at Ohana 7pm
• DHS has EMH until 10pm, so if we missed any must dos, I may push to head here for a bit

If we meet Mickey at DHS, we will probably skip meeting him in Toontown this trip.

[Lynn5700]

OOOh dinner at Ohana!! You will have a great day! Sounds fun!

[lovedonaldduck]

This will be our first time at Ohana and we are really looking forward to it. I may try to move our reservation early though, so we can head to MK afterwards. We'll see. This trip I don't want to change the location of any of our ADRs but I am reconsidering a lot of the times. I think once we hit the 45 day mark I will check online and see if any better times are open.

[Charleston Princess]

Hope you get lots of planning done before your dad leaves!!!

[scoot241]

I tried to check for Le Cellier at the 45 day mark; still nothing. Like I said in my PTR though, I'm not that worried about it. You might have better luck for other restaurants though.

'Ohana is one of the restaurants I'm really looking forward to. We're going a little early so we can head to MK afterward.

[lovedonaldduck]

Hope you get lots of planning done before your dad leaves!!!

We are spending the whole day with my parents tomorrow so we will definitely have the time. The only problem I have is getting everyone else to focus, nobody else is quite as excited as I am. :donald: They also think it's too early to think about all of this, but we are trying to rent DVC for next year's trip, so I need to know 7 months out.

I tried to check for Le Cellier at the 45 day mark; still nothing. Like I said in my PTR though, I'm not that worried about it. You might have better luck for other restaurants though.

'Ohana is one of the restaurants I'm really looking forward to. We're going a little early so we can head to MK afterward.

I am now okay with not going to Le Cellier. I will probably have steak at Kona Cafe and The Wave so I will get my fill of good steak. I will just put it on the list of ADRs for our 2010 trip.

We are really looking forward to Ohana too. We love the Polynesian and I'm so excited to just be a monorail stop away this trip.

I had a really hard time figuring out the timing of our reservations this time. I wanted to mainly stick to dinners because I liked the menus better and I want to get the most value for our money (we are not using free dining as we got a much better room rate using a military discount). But nowhere really serves dinner until at least 5, which puts you at a park by 6:30 which isn't much touring time. Then, if you do it the way we decided and schedule dinners around 7, we won't get back to the parks until about 3:30 after our afternoon break so that doesn't leave us much time either. Oh well, at least we are close enough to go more often so we can get plenty of park time in on other trips. I also could have scheduled more meals in the parks which might have helped too. :idea: We will have an awesome time and we are eating at places that we are all excited about so I can't complain. I can second guess myself, but I can't complain. :rotfl: