to get feedback on:
So I need thoughts on a few things with DHS: 1) DHS Backlot Tour and The Great Movie Rideshould we try to do these? What are your experiences with younger children on them? 2) Also, I am torn on LMA. I know DBIL will like it but it but it seems to take so much time out of the day.
3) This is the biggest thing I would love
We have a F! dinner package at 3:50. I am figuring it will take an hour at minimum, given all 11 of us will be attending it. F! starts at 8:30, so we will want to be there by 8:00 (is this appropriate?). Ideally we wanted to have a break and go back to the resort but now I am thinking we should hang tight after dinner and stay in the park. If we do this, than we are considering making it a late start morning. I know we gamble not getting to ride TSM but hopefully it would not be completely out of FP if we got there around 11:00.
OR, we could get there early to ride TSM, attend Playhouse Disney, Beauty and the Beast and Voyage of the Little Mermaid. After completing all these, leave the park until about 2:00 and stay until after F! is finished. Then the thrill seekers could take over in the afternoon, hitting up TOT, RNRC and Star Tours (or whatever is left should they decide to do things while we are taking Lilian to her shows). If we do this option, Lilian and I would shop and play at the playground. I would also offer to watch another show again if she just loves one.
What do you think? Which do you think would be better? I think this will be the hardest park for me to plan and the one I have the least amount of experience at as well.
We have never seen it. We may try again this year. It does seem like the type of show that your whole group can enjoy. 
We have spent anywhere from 4 to 8 hours. AK is so hot, we don't last very long.
I sure do. I love sewing...sewing and cake decorating play into to my engineering background but in a much better way than say....automotive parts.Thanks Leanne! I did not you dabbled in sewing.It can be quite addicting.
I will post some pics of last years projects on my PTR sometime in the next few days. Sewing is SOOOOO addictive. I think for Lindsey I'm going to do colored pencils rather than crayons for the roll ups. Colored pencils are a little more "big kid" if that makes sense. It will be a cool surprise for the goody bags I'll put together for the girls. I think a water bottle sling will be good also. I won't be stuck trying to manage 3 bottles of water or soda at any given moment. I'm thinking of insulating so that the bottles stay cooler. Haven't found the best way to do that yet, but I'm working on it.
. Our favorite CS is Pizzafari. The kids get the pizza of course and Joe and I get an italian sandwich. I like the frozen lemonade there too. Animal Kingdom is very hot so a frozen treat really hits the spot on a hot Orlando day. 
For DHS I think you should go in the AM, get your FP's, see your shows and then leave. Come back before your ADR and then stay until Fantasmic!
Can't give you any good ideas on CS at AK. I don't think they have any and now insist that we make Tusker House ADR's for lunch any time we go there!
I agree---get to DHS early, grab your fastpasses, see the shows you're wanting to see, then head out by lunch. Return for your early dinner, see F! and stay through the entire evening until the park closes.
At AK, we like Flame Tree Bar-B-Q, for counter service.
I liked the Great Movie Ride but it's not a must do. DD (4 at the time) liked it. It is a long ride (maybe 20 minutes). The Alien part is a little scary but as long as you warn you DD and maybe cover her eyes, she should be fine.
LMA is hard to schedule isn't it?
I would recommend getting to F! more like 7:45 even with the dinner package. From what I remember the CMs start letting people sit in the dinner package reserved seating around 30 mins before show time. Also, it takes a while to walk to the theater and park the stroller, etc.
Both plans sound good. What are you doing the night before? Would sleeping in be good for your group at that point in the trip? At the time of year you are going, TSM will not be out of FPs at 11:00 but the return time will be really late. Possibly so late that it will be too close to F!. What time does HS close that day? Also, keep in mind that TSM is not the only ride that runs out of FPs. RnRC and ToT will run out in the afternoon too. If you get TSM FPs at 11:00, the return time will be at least 6 hours later. You will be able to get another FP 2 hours later so that would be 1:00. I would be concerned about the return time of ToT and RnRC at that point. Even though you are going at a slow time, HS will be busy on F! nights. So...all that to say that if you don't get to HS till 11:00, I would be surprised if you are able to ride TSM, RnRC and ToT without waiting in long lines. Plus you will be there during the hot part of the day, which can be exhausting. One more thing, remember that you can use the non-thrill seaker's tickets to get FPs for RnRC and ToT (even the 4 year old's)
I don't know if this is helpful, but here's what I think the two days would look like (based on the current show schedule)
Plan 1:
11:00 Arrive and get TSM FP.
11:30 Beauty and the Beast Show (ends at 12:00)
12:15 Voyage of the Little Mermaid (should be done around 1:00)
1:00 Hopefully, you will have time to get RnRC or ToT FPs and hurry to LMA.
After LMA, break, playground or character hunting
Dinner at 3:50, done around 5:00.
Ride TSM (hopefully)
5:50 Playhouse Disney show. (Done around 6:30)
Use ToT or RnRC FPs(hopefully) while you and DD hit the playground
7:45 F!
I think you could fit all of that in.
Plan 2:
9:00 Ride TSM
9:40 Playhouse Disney (should be over around 10:10) Maybe the th
10:15 Voyage of the Little Mermaid
The first Beauty and the Beast Show is not until 11:30
11:00 Leave
2:00 Beauty and the Beast (should be over around 2:30)
2:30 Thrill seakers use FPs and DD visits playground.
3:50 Dinner
5:00 Backlot Tour or Great Movie Ride
6:30 Animation Studio or character hunting until F!
7:45 F!
You will miss LMA because the only show that is not during your dinner is at 1:20.
Flametree BBQ.
I am leaning towards going in the morning, get FP for TSM, seeing however many shows for DD. The guys can stick around for the LMA but I will probably take DD back to the resort at that point. It depends, of course, on the timing of the show. With 1:20 being the earliest show right now, those who really want to see it, may just have to stick it out in the park all day. With 11 of us in the park that day, there should be enough passes to go around to get enough FPs for two sets of rides thinking of who will ride the Thrill Rides and who won't--we are split half and half in that regards. I sure do. I love sewing...sewing and cake decorating play into to my engineering background but in a much better way than say....automotive parts.
Your AK plan looks good Stephanie. We can spend almost an entire day at AK. We usually head back after the parade. We do almost every experience there during that time though including Tough to be a Bug and Conservation Station. We are animal people too so you have to keep in mind that we love AK almost as much as MK-Odd I know
). Thanks--I hope to do one this weekend. We will see how it goes! 
I agree---get to DHS early, grab your fastpasses, see the shows you're wanting to see, then head out by lunch. Return for your early dinner, see F! and stay through the entire evening until the park closes.
At AK, we like Flame Tree Bar-B-Q, for counter service.
I also like the fried rice at the Yak & Yeti CS!
Somehow I didn't know that you had a PTR!!!!! I am Subbing! 
all your ADR's sound great!ADRs were made today!!Here are the ADRs we ended up with:
Sunday, September 12th:
Hollywood and Vine Fantasmic Dinner Package, 3:50
Monday, September 13th:
Akershus Princess Storybook Breakfast, 9:15
Coral Reef, 4:30
Tuesday, September 14th:
The Plaza Restaurant, 11:05
1900 Park Fare, 4:30
Thursday, September 16th:
Donalds Safari Breakfast at TH, 8:30
Friday, September 17th:
Rose and Crown, 7:50
So, we made two changes in the ADR list. We had originally chosen MM Fantasmic Dinner Package, but for both showings the week we are there, there were no times left. I had let A know that if we could not do MM to go ahead and try for H&V, which we got. I would still like to check in to see if we can switch to MM, but I have a feeling there is a slim to no chance of that happening. So H&V it is.
You will also notice that Plaza is now on our list. I am happy with that choice believe it or not!
Along with ADRs, there were two other reservations to be made today: BBB and the Tea Party. We ended up with:
Tuesday, September 14th: BBB appointment at 8:00
Wednesday, September 15th: Afternoon Tea at GF Garden View Lounge at 2:00
If you might remember, I originally have been planning on doing the My Disney Girls Perfectly Princess Tea Party on the 15th. I thought about it and looked at videos on YouTube of it and decided this go around, it was not for us. Lilian can be shy sometimes and I am afraid that she wont want to join in the experience yet. The food also is not so great considering the cost. I wanted the tea to be our thank you gift to the ladies for spending the money to come to Disney. With those thoughts in mind, I decided we would do the Grand Floridians Afternoon Tea in the Garden View Lounge. What about Lilian? She will be with usshe is one of the ladies of course! She will also be getting the My Disney Girl she would have gotten at the MDGPPTP either the morning of her birthday or I will give it to her at the Tea, which is what I am leaning towards at the moment. I can order her the redheaded doll now.
So there you have ita few minor adjustments. I have been planning the change from the tea party to the afternoon tea for the last week. The Plaza decision was made today. Overall, I am very happy and pleased with what we ended up with as our final outcome.
What do you all think?
I can't blame you for cancelling the teaparty, it's very expensive and if she might not be into it yet then I would definitely just do the regular tea at GF 
