A Very Belated 21st Birthday to Me! PTR May 12-19th 2015 - Updated 5/11

[kadrachb]

Hello all! This is my first pre-trip report (actually, any type of report).


So here is some background on the trip:


Last year my boyfriend and I went to Disney as a graduation gift to him from his parents. I then decided I would like to go for my graduation from college (which will be May 2016) but my mom suggested for my 21st birthday I also go (she is a wonderful mother)! My family no longer takes family vacations due to my father’s disabilities, so this is why it’s just my boyfriend and I traveling. I turned 21 on February 28th, and originally we were thinking about going during my spring break, but, I am a Molecular Biotech major and I figured I’d have a lot of work to do during Spring break – So I decided I’d go after finals. Which will be great, because that means I have to pack up everything I need from my apartment, go home, and then leave again in 4 days.


The ‘party’:

Me: I am currently a junior at Millersville University studying Biology with a concentration in Molecular Biotechnology, and a soon to be declared minor in biochemistry. I graduate in May 2016. I am considering doing the Disney Biotech internship, but since I am going to grad school, this might not be an option. My first trip to Disney was with my parents when I was 5, and I didn’t return until I was 20.

My boyfriend (Kenny): He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Criminology; however, he has now changed paths and is getting IT certifications. His first trip to Disney was is graduation trip from his parents last year.

We will have dated for two years in October. He still lives in MD, and I still live in PA, so it's kind of long distance, but we see each other every weekend, so I guess not really THAT much of a long distance.

Here we are last year!


We are staying at AKL in a standard club level access room from May 12th – 19th. Originally we were booked for the Beach club, but we then changed over. And we have the DDP.


Our current ADR’s include:

· BOG (Lunch)

· Crystal Palace (Dinner)

· Sci-fi Dine-In (Lunch)

· Boma (Dinner)

· Akershus (Dinner)

· Tusker House (Breakfast)

· California Grill (Dinner)

· ‘Ohana (Breakfast)

· 1900 Park Fare (Dinner)

We are going to pay for Tusker House and ‘Ohana out of pocket. We have eaten at BOG, Akershus, Tusker House, and Cali Grill during our last trip.

Our FPs Include:
Day 1: Meet Cindy and Rapunzel, 7DMT, Space Mountain
Day 2: Toy Story Midway Mania, Star Tours
Day 3: Character Spot, Soarin
Day 4: Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, DINOSAUR
Day 5: Test Track, Spaceship Earth, Mission: Space (Kenny only)
Day 6: Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Meet Anna and Elsa

I will be posting our itinerary in the coming days! Stay tuned!

Table of Contents
Arrival Day
Preparations
Overview of the Trip
Day 1: Magic Kingdom
Day 2: Hollywood Studios
Weekend Update #1
Day 3: EPCOT
Day 4: Animal Kingdom
Preparations - Part #2
Day 5: EPCOT #2
Day 1: Updated Plans - Magic Kingdom
Weekend Update #2
Day 6: Magic Kingdom
Wait... What? Menu Changes?!
Full Trip Timeline
Please Don't Let My Toe Be Broken... Late Night Update
DTD Plans and a Happy Mother's Day!
1 Day Left!
We're Back!

 

[kadrachb]

Arrival Day Plans:

We fly out of BWI at 10:35am, so knowing my boyfriend he’ll have me up at 5am again, even though he only lives about 20 minutes away from BWI (last year, I think it took us 40 minutes to get there due to traffic). We are supposed to land in MCO at 12:50pm. We are then taking the ME to AKL. Hoping our room is ready, we will check in and go to our room, and put down our carry on stuff. From there, we will head to DTD.


In DTD we will grab lunch, probably around 3pm. (last year it was Earl of Sandwich) I think this year we are going to try Cookes of Dublin. We will do some shopping, hopefully find something to get for my dad (he is REALLY HARD to shop for – but last year I did find a pocket t-shirt in his size! Was super excited about that), and definitely going to stop by Goofy’s Candy Company for the make your own treats.


After that, we are going to return to AKL to just relax. Will probably grab dinner at The Mara and do some swimming. Tomorrow is our first park day, and we have planned to go to MK!

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

So many funny similarities - I also go to school in PA (team Lafayette!) And I'm also a bio major and love Disney. I'm a fan of your ADRS, but I'm gonna agree with your boyfriend about getting to the airport early. My parents and I are really particular and would rather wait in the airport than get there with not enough wiggle room because of traffic or security lines.

I hope you're planning tons of EPCOT time. I definitely take advantage of the World Showcase now that I'm over 21....

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Joining in. We will be there about the same time!

 

[kadrachb]

So many funny similarities - I also go to school in PA (team Lafayette!) And I'm also a bio major and love Disney. I'm a fan of your ADRS, but I'm gonna agree with your boyfriend about getting to the airport early. My parents and I are really particular and would rather wait in the airport than get there with not enough wiggle room because of traffic or security lines.

I hope you're planning tons of EPCOT time. I definitely take advantage of the World Showcase now that I'm over 21....

Nice! My grandfather taught at Lafayette a really long time ago. I understand about the airport though, not that I'm in disagreement with him, but waking up THAT early is sometimes hard for me. 7am, okay! 5am? No thanks.

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

My grandfather taught at Lafayette a really long time ago.

That's awesome!

 

[kadrachb]

I probably could have put this before our Arrival Day... buuuuttt....

Preparations

Last year when I bought the headband with the Mickey/Ursula ears, sometimes the headband would hurt my head if I was also wearing sunglasses. This year, instead of buying a different type, I decided to go with bows!

I bought them from ExtraSweetBowtique on Etsy, and they are absolutely adorable. The pictures below are NOT mine, but from the owner's shop. I bought these two (top: Tarzan Inspired, bottom: Mulan Inspired), plus two others, which are Minnie Mouse and Ariel Inspired.
.

I also decided that since I only have 4 days from finishing my final on Friday morning, to leaving for my boyfriends house in MD on Monday, and flying out Tuesday, that I don't really have a lot of time to get my nails done. So, instead I ordered Jamberrys. My one friend is a consultant, and she found another consultant who still had a pair of these left over. First, they are disney themed, which I think is so much better than a regular manicure! Second, they are supposed to last two weeks and third, they seem pretty easy to put on (but we will see how easy they are when I have to put them on myself...)

We have also received our magic bands and our luggage tags, and 21 more days to go!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Planning out Disney accessories are always so much fun! YOu should see the amount of bows I've ended up making for Little MIss! Its around 25-30 at last count! The nails are cute and a great idea!

 

[kadrachb]

Planning out Disney accessories are always so much fun! YOu should see the amount of bows I've ended up making for Little MIss! Its around 25-30 at last count! The nails are cute and a great idea!

I was just looking at your PTR, and her bows are cute!

 

[lindotts]

Those bows are so cute. <3
lol I am 21 and this next week might as well be my birthday trip too, havent been in 4 years, haha.

Hope you guys have fun!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

I was just looking at your PTR, and her bows are cute!

 

[kadrachb]

Those bows are so cute. <3
lol I am 21 and this next week might as well be my birthday trip too, havent been in 4 years, haha.

Hope you guys have fun!

Well I hope YOU have fun!
And also, you should try to disney cocktails! Granted, the stuff to make them can be kind of expensive. But my favorite is the Sleep Cycle, which is based off of Sleeping Beauty.

 

[kadrachb]

Overview
Well, I thought I’d do a quick overview of all our park days before actually posting a little more detail about them! If you guys have any ideas for snacks or drinks you think we should try, please feel free to leave your input!



Day 1: Magic Kingdom
FPs: Meet Cindy and Rapunzel, 7DMT, Space Mountain
ADRs: BOG (lunch), Crystal Palace (Dinner)
Snacks: Cakecup, LeFrou’s Brew

We hope to get there by rope drop to see the opening show, and spend most of the day in Fantasyland / Tomorrowland. Hopefully we will be able to catch the Festival of Fantasy parade, and then go back to the hotel for a break until we leave AKL at 6pm. From there, we have Crystal palace reservation at 7:40pm and then staying in MK until around 11pm.


Day 2: Hollywood Studios
FPs: Toy Story Midway Mania, Star Tours
ADRs: Sci-Fi Dine In (Lunch), Boma (Dinner at AKL)
Snacks: None

Probably won’t arrive until 9:30am, we were kind of bored last May at HS, and spent a lot of time sitting around in the shade. Hoping to go straight to character meet and greets (such as Hiro and Baymax, Mr. Incredible and Frozone). Also hoping to catch the Character Palooza, and then leave the park around 5pm for a relaxing even of swimming and dinner at Boma.


Day 3: Epcot
FPs: Soarin’, Character Spot
ADRs: Akershus
Snacks: Macaron Guimauve a la Fraise, Teriyaki Curry Bun, Frushi
Snacks/Drinks not on DP: Pineapple Soft Serve w/ Rum, Ace Pineapple Hard Cider


We will try to arrive by rope drop, however, if we get there a few minutes late it won’t ruin any plans. We will probably head straight over to The Seas with Nemo and Friends, then do our FPs, and tour UK – American Adventure Pavilions in the afternoon. We will probably eat lunch at the Katsura Grill in Japan, however, if we snack too much we might just skip this and us the QS credits for breakfast on our travel day. Hoping to leave the park by 3pm to swim and/or nap, and then arrive back at the park by 7:30 until 10pm, as Epcot has EMH.


Day 4: Animal Kingdom
FPs: Kilimanjaro Safari, Expedition Everest, DINOSAUR
ADRs: Tusker House
Snacks: None

We have an early ADR at the Tusker House. Depending on when we get done we will see if we actually need our Safari FP. Hoping to also catch the Festival of the Lion King, as it was closed last year and it is one of the shows I actually remember seeing when I was 5! Eating lunch at Yak and Yeti, and then maybe visiting the Dawa Bar right before leaving. After going back to AKL, will probably park hop to MK. Because we have to use the park hopper and some point since we bought it. Haha. Thinking about dinner at a QS at one of the Monorail resorts, any suggestions? We have eaten at the Contempo before, as we stayed at the Contemporary last year.


Day 5: Epcot
FPs: Spaceship Earth, Test Track, Mission: SPACE (Kenny only)
ADRs: California Grill
Snacks: A lot of snacks… that will take the place of our lunch.


Again, being here by rope drop won’t make or break our plans. Since I’m a baby, Kenny is going to do Mission: SPACE and I’ll just sit around or shop or something. Hoping to do Mexico – American Adventure from 12pm – 3pm, and then go back to AKL. From 3:00pm to 6:00pm we will probably nap and swim, and then by 6 I need to be getting ready for dinner. By 8 we will grab a cab to get over to the Contemporary for our 8:45pm reservation at Cali Grill.


Day 6: Magic Kingdom (Our last day L)
FPs: Big Thunder Mountain, Meet Anna and Elsa, Splash Mountain
ADRs: ‘Ohana, 1900 Park Fare
Snacks: Dole Whip


Be there by rope drop, and do Adventureland and Frontierland by 2:30pm. I actually need QS suggestions for lunch! Will take a break at 2:30pm or after we eat, and then go back to the resort for swimming/napping. By 7pm we will call a cab to take us to the GF for our dinner, then we will go back to MK for closing.


20 more days to go!

 

[NJlauren]

Joining in! Looks like such a fun trip, and AKL looks amazing!!

Love your bows! 20 days!!

 

[kadrachb]

Joining in! Looks like such a fun trip, and AKL looks amazing!!

Love your bows! 20 days!!

Welcome! AKL does look amazing and I am so excited to stay there! My mom is also super jealous because we get to see giraffes and those are her favorite animal!

 

[nilla]

So many funny similarities - I also go to school in PA (team Lafayette!)...

BOOO to both of you! Kutztown Golden Bears #1!!!



Back in the days of my irresponsible youth, we used to hit up the Easton bars almost nightly.

Wait, what's that? You mean I'm supposed to be commenting on kadrachb's PTR? Crap, I almost forgot!

Your plans look great, and you seem to have the perfect attitude going into this trip. We've gone in early May several times, and it's a fantastic time to be there. BTW, Happy Birthday!

 

[kadrachb]

BOOO to both of you! Kutztown Golden Bears #1!!!



Back in the days of my irresponsible youth, we used to hit up the Easton bars almost nightly.

Wait, what's that? You mean I'm supposed to be commenting on kadrachb's PTR? Crap, I almost forgot!

Your plans look great, and you seem to have the perfect attitude going into this trip. We've gone in early May several times, and it's a fantastic time to be there. BTW, Happy Birthday!

We did late May last year and really enjoyed it, but in interfered with a job training (which I didn't get because I'd be in Disney...), so this year we decided to go in early May to try and avoid that. BUT, it didn't work. Oops. Didn't get a QA internship because the training dates were either the day I was leaving or the day we were coming back. However, this wasn't a crucial internship and wasn't technically in my biology field of study, so no harm.

 

[nilla]

QS suggestions for lunch at MK:

Columbia Harbor House is our favorite. Pinocchio's Village Haus is also fun, especially if you get there early enough to sit by the window and play "will anyone in this next IASW boat wave back at us?"

 

[nilla]

We did late May last year and really enjoyed it, but in interfered with a job training (which I didn't get because I'd be in Disney...), so this year we decided to go in early May to try and avoid that. BUT, it didn't work. Oops. Didn't get a QA internship because the training dates were either the day I was leaving or the day we were coming back. However, this wasn't a crucial internship and wasn't technically in my biology field of study, so no harm.

Stupid work, always getting in the way! Now, we're dealing with stupid middle school, which is forcing us to go in June. Can you believe that? June!

We were in WDW from May 7-18 last year. We've had a lot of luck with crowds, humidity, etc. going between Spring Break and graduations. Someone once told me the parks are running at a higher level to gear up for Summer, but the Summer crowds aren't there yet. We've had some crowded days, but also some days where the parks seemed empty.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Plans look good!