2016 - Jennifer's January Jaunt! Pre-Trip Report

[Trixie15]

@ariane37!! Thanks for joining it! Hopefully I'll get it together really quick here and post a more positive and more informative update!!

 

[kcpinwdw]

my FP+ window is approaching soo

BAh! Time is going quickly! I didnt comment on your Universal studios updates because i have never been and probably wont go for a long time... I would LOVE to got to Harry Potter but my kids are too little and I dont like thrill rides, so US never really appealed otherwise. I think your reasons to start there are perfect and that way you have so much to look forward too!

so that I don't actually gain weight while on the trip.

I find the amount of walking offsets my extra calories at Disney. I do not exercise at all at home, really. I think the idea of counting calories on vacation is daunting, but paying attention to my body and hunger and making sure I am satisfied and energized without going overboard--- that I can do.

 

[Trixie15]

Updated Day Three Plans
Tuesday, January 26, 2016​

I'm finally making headway on my plans and I'm so glad! I ended up making myself just start over instead of trying to fit plans I'd already made into a schedule that had changed. That seemed to work for me so I went with it!

Park Hours
Universal Studios (both parks) - 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Magic Kingdom - 9 a.m - 8 p.m.
Epcot - 9 p.m. - 11 p.m. - EMH
​

As always, the times are a really, really rough guide, put in place so that I don't distract myself and then miss out on what I really want to do, lol! Plus the plans may have to change once I'm actually able to make Fast Passes.

7:35 Breakfast - Whispering Canyon (ADR) - Wilderness Lodge
8:30 - Head to Universal
9:00 - Universal Studios
11:30 - Lunch - Finnegan's
1:00 - Head to Magic Kingdom
1:30 - get Sorcerer's cards
1:30 - 2:30 - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (FP+)
2:35 - 3:35 - Splash Mountain (FP+)
3:30 - 5:00 - Explore Tom Sawyer Island, Pirates Adventure Game, Tiki Room, Flying Carpets, Aladdin characters
4:25 - 5:25 - Pirates of the Caribbean (FP+)
5:30 - Aloha Isle Dole Whip!
6:30 - Casey's Hot Dogs and find a place to sit at the Main Street train station to watch the parade and Wishes
7:00 - MSEP
8:00 - Wishes
8:45 - Head to Epcot
9:00 - Epcot EMH
11:00 - Head to Pop Century​

That's a long day! I don't know if I'll be too tired to do the EMH at Epcot or not, but at this point it's in the plans.


Next: Day Four - Wednesday 1/27/16

 

[Trixie15]

Day Four Plans
Wednesday, January 27, 2016​

Day four features Epcot, with Extra Magic Hours at Magic Kingdom. Times seem very rigid but are SO not. Just a guide for me to not lose track of time and to have a basic idea of what I want to do each day. The fast passes seem weird here. I feel like I really don't need fast passes for any of the Tier 2 rides, really. But I'll make them anyway.

Park Hours:
Epcot - 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Magic Kingdom - 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. - EMH


7:00 - breakfast in the room or at Pop's cafeteria
8:30 - head to Epcot
9:00 - Epcot - head right to Test Track
9:10 - 10:10 - Mission Space (FP+)
10:15 - 11:15 - Spaceship Earth (FP+)
11:20 - 12:20 - My Disney Pals (character spot) (FP+)
11:30 - Lunch - Katsura Grill in Japan
12:00 - Japan
1:00 - America
2:00 - Morocco
3:00 - France
4:00 - United Kingdom
5:00 - Canada
6:00 - walk to Beach Club through the International Gateway
6:40 - Cape May Cafe (ADR)
7:45 - walk back to car; drive to Magic Kingdom
8:30 - Magic Kingdom - pick up Sorcerer cards
8:45 - 10:00 Try for a few rides in Adventureland, maybe get a Dole Whip (yum)
9:45 - Depending on wait times - get in line for Haunted Mansion
10:30 - back to Pop​

Another long day but I think that I've built in time during the day to just be leisurely around the countries. Magic Kingdom EMH are optional, too. I've got plenty of days in both parks to do everything I want to do.


Next: Day Five Plans - Thursday 1/28/16

 

[Trixie15]

Day Five Plans
Thursday, January 28, 2016

Park Hours
Magic Kingdom - 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

7:00 - Head to Poly
7:30 - Kona Cafe (ADR)
8:45 - MK rope drop
9:15 - SDMT
9:30 - Old Fantasyland
10:30 - New Fantasyland - Gaston's Snack
10:55 - 11:55 - Space Mountain (FP+)
12:00 - Tomorrowland
1:00 - Lunch - Sleepy Hollow
2:00 - Country Bears Jamboree
2:45 - 3:05 - Festival of Fantasy parade (FP+)
3:30 - Riverboat
4:00 - Splash Mountain
3:50 - 4:50 - Big Thunder Mountain (FP+)
5:00 - Haunted Mansion
5:30 - Old Fantasyland
6:30 - Tomorrowland
8:00 - Head to Grand Floridian
8:35 - 1900 Park Fare (ADR)
9:45 - Head to Disney Springs
11:00 - Back to Pop​

I'm getting so excited - every day planned feels like I'm one step closer to the actual trip!!

Times, as always, very flexible and depend very much on how the Fast Pass selection goes.

Speaking of that:
17 days until FP+!
77 days until Disney!


Next: Day Six Plans - Friday 1/29/16

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Well, it looks like your plans are shaping up nicely. I'm enjoying reading about them.

Having just returned from Disney last month, one thing I wanted to mention is that it's easy to underestimate how really tired you will be at the end of those long days, especially your arrival day. DD and I are night owls, but on our arrival day, we were ready for bed at 7:30 pm that first day we spent in the Magic Kingdom. This was after a 6 am flight to Orlando. We dragged ourselves back to our resort (POR) and thought we'd take a short nap and then head over to the lobby and gift shop. NOT! We never woke up til the next morning. We didn't even unpack! LOL. My excuse could be old age, haha, but DD is 20 something and she was wiped out. I guess I'm mentioning this so you won't be kicking yourself for having to toss out late night plans now and then in order to rest up for the next day.

One reason you might feel overwhelmed from time to time is that there are a lot of days to plan! Have fun with your planning and good luck on FF+ picking day!!!

 

[Trixie15]

Thank you, @tinkerbellmagic! Believe me - I do know about the exhaustion factor. I'm hoping that going by myself means that I can pace the trip more to my own needs rather than trying to make sure that 5 other people get to do everything they want! But I'm MORE than willing to scrap plans and do things on the fly instead, without disappointment. It will be amazing just to be there.

On our last trip we were all geared up to stay at Magic Kingdom one night until the magic hours ended at 2 a.m. Yeah - 10:30 came and we were on a bus back to the hotel, LOL!

Everyone keeps saying that my trip is a lot of days, and yet when I'm making my plans I keep thinking, "This isn't enough days! I need another day!" I wish I had made the trip an even 2 weeks but I'm not changing it again at this point!

 

[Trixie15]

Day Six Plans
Friday, January 29, 2106​

An Epcot day to wander around the other side of the world. But bookended by stops at the Magic Kingdom!​

Park Hours
Magic Kingdom - 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. for EMH, and 9 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Epcot - 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.​

7:30 - head to Magic Kingdom
8:00 - Magic Kingdom
Ride 7DMT and get a cinnamon roll from Gaston's

8:45 - head to Epcot
9:00 - Epcot
9:15 - Mission Space
9:05 - 10:05 - Test Track (FP+)
10:30 - Turtle Talk
10:05 - 11:05 - Nemo (FP+)
11:15 Circle of Life
11:45 - Living with the Land
11:15 - 12:15 - Figment (FP+)
1:00 - Norway
1:30 - Kringla Bakery
2:00 - China
3:00 - Germany
4:00 - Italy
5:00 - America
6:00 - Head back to Mexico
6:45 - San Angel Inn (ADR)
9:00 - Illuminations (maybe using a 4th FP+?)

9:30 - head to Magic Kingdom
10 - see if there are any FP+ available
11:00 - MSEParade
11:30 - head back to POP​

I may decide to skip the bookends, depending on how tired I am. But I added them in there to remind me of the option.


Next: Day Seven Plans - 1/30/16

 

[Trixie15]

Day Seven Plans
Saturday, January 30, 2016

This day is mostly easy to plan since I had a Hollywood Studios day planned out before.

Park Hours
Animal Kingdom - 8 a.m. till 9 a.m. - EMH
Hollywood Studios - 9 a.m. till 8:30 p.m.
Magic Kingdom - 8 a.m. till 1 a.m.

7:30 - head to Animal Kingdom
8 - Animal Kingdom
Try Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl

8:45 - head to Hollywood Studios
9 - TSM
9:15 - 10:15 - Great Movie Ride (FP+)
10 - Voyage of the Little Mermaid
10:30 - Breakfast/Snack - Writer's stop
11:05 - 11:20 - Frozen Sing-Along (FP+)
12 - Indiana Jones
12:20 - 1:20 - Star Tours (FP+)
1:35 - Lunch - 50's Prime Time Cafe (ADR)
4 - Lights, Motors, Action! Stunt Show
5 - Dinner - Brown Derby Lounge
6 - Rock'n Roller Coaster (single rider line?)
7 - Symphony in the Stars Dessert Party (ADR)
8 - Star Wars Fireworks Fireworks
9 - Fantasmic!
9:30 - Head to Magic Kingdom
check for fast passes
Ride the mountains?
Have some food somewhere
10:00 - Wishes
11:00 - MSEParade
1:00 - back to POP
​

Next: Day Eight Plans - 1/31/16

 

[anniebean]

You'll enjoy Universal. My whole family loves it. My mom even enjoyed it. She was in awe of Hogsmeade, and she doesn't even like HP! Both parks you'll easily be able to get done in two days.

Another thing, quit stressing and enjoy your trip! Easier said than done because I do the same exact thing. I stress over all the "what ifs" that never end up happening. Go and have fun! It's getting really close!

 

[ariane37]

Oops, I've been falling behind on all my TR's and PTR's!
I think the good part about a solo trip is that it's fine if you fall behind schedule or decide to change it up last minute. If it's too much for you OR you find you're getting things done quicker than you thought, no big deal either way and you can keep good track of what you've done or what you cut out one day and need to reschedule for another day.
BTW, the best part of your Day 6 plans is happening at 1:30-SCHOOL BREAD TIME !!!!!!

 

[Trixie15]

10 days until FP+!
70 days until Disney!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Thank you, @tinkerbellmagic!

Everyone keeps saying that my trip is a lot of days, and yet when I'm making my plans I keep thinking, "This isn't enough days! I need another day!" I wish I had made the trip an even 2 weeks but I'm not changing it again at this point!

Oh, I'm a huge fan of long trips. I always think if I'm going to go through all that flying down there, I don't want to rush back. Our longest trip so far was 10 days. I would love a two-weeker. Maybe some day.

Wow, you're on day 7 already!

If this helps any, in 2014 we did two days at Universal (our first time at Universal and I knew nothing about it except for what I tried to cram in via the disboard's Universal board and the most recent copy of a travel book I bought about Universal). After our two days at Universal, we moved to our Disney resort.

We really enjoyed our two days at Universal. It's a different experience than Disney. We primarily went to Uni because my grown DD is a Harry Potter freak. We went right after Diagon Alley opened, so we were expecting extreme crowds. For this reason, we decided to stay our two Uni days onsite at the Royal Pacific (the least expensive deluxe). We were able to get front of the line access and also early entry, which DD really "needed" in order to get to the park early enough to ride Escape From Gringotts. We loved staying so close to the parks and enjoying the perks.

I didn't find Uni as mentally and physically exhausting as Disney World (even though my heart belongs to Disney). We would love to go to Uni again and we would stay on site again too. We didn't find the crowds at Uni as bad as the ones at Disney when we were there. Except for the Harry Potter areas during the busiest times of day, we found Uni crowds more manageable than Disney. I think some time in the future, Uni will be as nuts, crowd wise, as Disney, so I would like to go back and enjoy it while it's still a "refreshing change." I know you will enjoy Universal.

 

[Trixie15]

I'm hoping to get the last set of plans done tonight while it's slow at work. I've got to get this finished because:

3 days until FP+!
63 days until Disney!

 

[Trixie15]

Day Eight Plans
Sunday, January 31, 2016​

Park Hours
Hollywood Studios - 8 a.m. till 9 a.m. - EMH
Animal Kingdom - 9 a.m. till 6:30 p.m.
Magic Kingdom - 9 a.m. till 10 p.m.

7:30 - head to Hollywood studios
8:00 - try to catch Tower of Terror

9:00 - Animal Kingdom opens
9:15 - Kilimanjaro Safari
10:35 - Tusker House (ADR)
12:00 - Explore Asia
12:00 - 1:00 - Expedition Everest (FP+)
1:00 - Finding Nemo show
2:00 - Explore Dinoland USA
2:05 - 3:05 - Dinosaur (FP+)
3:05 - 4:05 - Primeval Whirl (FP+)
4:00 - Flame Tree BBQ
4:15 - Tough to be a Bug
5:00 - Lion King show
5:30 - Kilimanjaro Safari
6:00 - Expedition Everest
6:30 - Dinosaur

7:00 - Disney Springs or Magic Kingdom
9:00 - Wishes if I'm at MK
10:00 - back to POP​

I feel like some of these planned days may be quite a bit too ambitious. But it's fun planning them and I won't be disappointed in myself if I can't do it all according to plan. I'll most likely end up winging it once I actually get there anyway, LOL! It's good to have a basic idea of what I'd like to do though.

Next: Day Nine Plans - 2/1/16

 

[Trixie15]

Day Nine Plans
Monday, February 1, 2016

Park Hours
Animal Kingdom - 8 a.m. till 9 a.m. - EMH
Hollywood Studios - 9 a.m. till 7:00 p.m.
Epcot - 9 a.m. till 9 p.m.

7:30 - head to Animal Kingdom
8:00 - Hit Expedition Everest and maybe the safari

9:00 - Hollywood Studios
9:15 - Toy Storia mania
9:30 - Rock 'n Roller Coaster
9:35 - 10:35 - Tower of Terror (FP+)
10:30 - voyage of the Little Mermaid
10:40 - 11:40 - Toy Story Mania (FP+)
11:30 - lunch somewhere
11:40 - 12:40 - Star Tours (FP+)
1:00 - Great Movie Ride
(Explore, shop, snack)

3:30 - Epcot
4:30 - Garden Grill (ADR)
(Explore, shop, snack)
9:00 - Illuminations
10:00 - Back to POP
​

Next: Day Ten Plans - 2/2/16

 

[Trixie15]

Day Ten Plans
Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Park Hours
Magic Kingdom - 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Epcot - 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., and 9 p.m. - 11 p.m. EMH

7:30 - Head to Magic Kingdom
8:10 - Be Our Guest (ADR)
9:00 - 7DMT
9:00 - 10:00 - Space Mountain (FP+)
10:10 - 11:10 - 7DMT (FP+)
11:15 - 12:15 - Haunted Mansion (FP+)
Wander
12:30 - Lunch - maybe I'll get lucky and the new Skipper Canteen will be open?
Wander

3:00 - Monorail to Poly
4:00 - Trader Sams Grotto
5:30 - Monorail back to MK
6:45 - Mono or walk to Contemporary
7:35 - California Grill (ADR)
8:00 - (Wishes)
8:45 - Mono or walk back to MK, then drive to Epcot

9:00 - Epcot extra magic hours
11:00 - In line for Test Track
11:45 - back to POP​

Next: Day Eleven Plans - 2/3/16

 

[Trixie15]

Day Eleven Plans​

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Park Hours
Animal Kingdom - 9 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Epcot - 9 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Magic Kingdom - 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. EMH

8:30 - Head to Animal Kingdom
9:00 - Animal Kingdom opens
9:15 - Kilimanjaro Safari
9:30 - 10:30 - Expedition Everest (FP+)
10:30 - 11:30 - Dinosaur (FP+)
11:30 - 12:30 - Kilimanjaro Safari (FP+)
12:30 - Lunch - Harambe Market
Explore, Shop, Snack

4:30 - Head to Disney Springs
5:30 - Dinner - Earl of Sandwich

6:30 - Head to Epcot
9:00 - Illuminations

9:30 - Head to Magic Kingdom
10:45 - Head back to Pop
​

I think at this point, all of these plans are very, very tentative. Who knows what I will want to do at this point. Still - a basic idea is always nice.


Next: Day Twelve Plans - 2/4/16

 

[Trixie15]

Day Twelve Plans
Thursday, February 4, 2016

Park Hours
Epcot - 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. EMH
Magic Kingdom - 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

6:30 - Check out of POP
7:30 - Head to Epcot
8:00 - Epcot

9:00 - Magic Kingdom
9:45 - Crystal Palace (ADR)
12:00 - Lunch somewhere
2:00 - 3:00 - Haunted Mansion (FP+)
3:00 - 4:00 - Big Thunder Mountain (FP+)
4:05 - 5:05 - Pirates of the Caribbean (FP+)

5:30 - Head to MCO airport
6:30 - drop off car
8:15 - flight leaves
10:10 - arrive home!
10:20 - cry a little and start to plan a return trip!!
​

Ok, so there are all of my days, all laid out! I think that my Fast Pass reservations should open tonight at midnight (11 p.m. central time?), so now I have a plan for those! I really feel like I have enough time scheduled in the parks where I won't miss out on much of anything. I love to do the rides and shows over and over again; that's why I have so many duplicates of the fast passes. I'll try to check back in after fast passes tonight and let you know what I got!

1 day until FP+!
61 days until Disney!


Next: Fast Pass+ Success!​

 

[kcpinwdw]

I have to say 12 days of plans is pretty impressive! Good luck with your Fastpasses tonight!