[cruise update] Here is Adventure ... Celebrating my 20th visit 6/15

[HSMndLKfan92]

Aloha! Welcome to my first attempt at a PTR!
​

Let me introduce myself.
I'm Jaimie, a twentysomething Disney Fanatic. Disney is what I'm known for - I started watching the movies before I could talk. My parents took me to WDW for the first time in '97, and we've pretty much gone back every year since. Going to the parks is a big part of who I am. I've been on the DIS since my awkward teen years, hence the bizarre username. But with this high of a post count, I'm not about to make a new account. I haven't been on here in awhile, so I'm getting used to the layout. This will be my fifth trip to Disney World since March 2014! (The other three trips include June '14, January '15, and March '15).
​

The Low-Down:
My parents, best friend, and I are cruising this June. (Not a Disney cruise, unfortunately. Mom said no.) We decided to tack on a Disney trip at the end of our vacation, because Disney decided to email me discount codes a week after I got back from my March trip, and we'll be in the area anyway.
​

More about the travel party
Mom: Mom would probably yell at me if I gave away her age. But she's the reason we go back every year. Over time, she's passed the Disney Planning Torch to me. I love planning, and she loves relaxing, so this system works out well for us. Mom's most recent trips were June '14 and January '15.

Dad: Dad just goes with the flow and usually doesn't care what we end up doing. But he insists on Pecos Bill's every time. When it comes to the rides, he's my partner in crime. Dad's most recent trips were June '14 and January '15.

Liz: Liz is my closest and dearest friend sister. We've been friends for nearly 10 years, and seeing that I'm actually an only child, Liz is my mom's favorite kid. This will be our third Disney trip together - she traveled with me in March '14. She's also doing the College Program in the Fall!


I figured out how to upload pictures! I'm on the left, and Liz is on the right.

When we're going:
June 14 - 17

Where we're staying:
Coronado Springs! I stayed here last month, and Liz stayed here her first trip. This will be the first time my parents are staying here.

I guess that's it for now! If anyone out there is good at math, you probably noticed that tomorrow is 60 days out. Which means FASTPASSES. Stay tuned to find out how much of a headache it gives me this time.​

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

PTR Hyperlinks
FastPass+ Selections
ADR choices
Get to Know You
Day 1 Plans

Cruise Plans

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

Looks like I just proved how awful at math I am. Turns out sixty days is tomorrow. Imagine my horror when I woke up this morning and logged into MDE, only to find out we weren't eligible to register fastpasses yet

In the meantime, here's a quiz:
Which Classic Disney Snack are You?

 

[irene_dsc]

I found your PTR! Those R2D2 Mickey Ears are adorable!

So, you have an extra day to ponder your FP+ choices...and at least you were early instead of late.

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

I found your PTR! Those R2D2 Mickey Ears are adorable!

So, you have an extra day to ponder your FP+ choices...and at least you were early instead of late.

We didn't buy them - they were just too adorable to not take the photo op.

I think we've got everything decided. We know what rides we want and an approximation of what time we want them. We've had our routine down to a science. It's just a matter of getting those darn new FastPasses to work with us!

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

60 Days to Go​

Which means FASTPASS+ Selection Day is upon our travel party.
I'm sure everyone in my family appreciates that I'm the go-to person to book our FPs.

I woke up this morning and after laying in bed for about 20 minutes, I realized, "huh. Today's the day." I logged into my mom's Disney account and got started. Here's how it went.

MAGIC KINGDOM
I laughed when I saw that the Anna and Elsa meet & greet FPs have all been allotted.
I picked our top choices, Big Thunder, Space, and 7 Dwarves Mine Train.

Option 1 - Best Option! has statistically always been the WORST OPTION POSSIBLE! for our group. I started having flashbacks to when Liz and I planned March '14. (Every single one of our options conflicted with our ADR. Wasn't that nice.) So I looked at the other 3 options. And option 2 wasn't exactly what we wanted, but seemed to be the best. The other options suggested we do our FPs at like 8 PM. What? But at least nothing conflicted with our dinner reservation at Kona.

I went with Option 2 and decided to play with the times for Big Thunder and 7DMT. However, we could only select LATER times and not EARLIER. What? But no one was upset.

EPCOT
This was when the real problems began. Liz and I are planning to head there significantly earlier than my parents, so I did our selections first.

The attractions list shows up, and Soarin' is COMPLETELY MISSING. What? Normally if the FastPasses have been allotted or if the ride is being refurbed, there's just a notification. Soarin' just wasn't there. So I refreshed the page and it came back.

We were able to select the times and attractions we wanted: Soarin' for 10:30, Mickey Meet and Greet at like 11:35 and Mission: Space at 12:40. No problem.

I go back in to make the selections for my parents, who are going to come in time to ride Space with us. I set their FP for the same time, and Soarin' for shortly after. They don't really care about having a 3rd FastPass in EPCOT. I'm sure Disney loves them.

When I went to confirm our Soarin' time - Disney grouped all four of us together! Every time I went to modify the group, my selection would be over ridden. Every time.

THE PHONE CALL
Naturally, I want this problem fixed and I want it fixed now. So, I call, and a very lovely Cast Member picks up my line. I think her name was Bonnie Joe. I explained the problem, and what I was trying to do. She logged into the system and managed to change mine and Liz's Soarin' time.

We talked for a little bit after. She thought it was really interesting that Soarin' didn't even show up as a selection option the first time. She also told me that the CMs use Google Chrome to fix any problems, and I told her that I made my selections from Chrome. I thought that maybe the browser was affecting my experience. It turns out that Disney does not recommend using Internet Explorer.

The more you know!


We just wanna go on our favorite rides!

 

[AshBriSmi]

Joining along for the fun!!

I also love those R2D2 Mickey Ears- Adorable!!

We are going to WDW the week before you

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

Joining along for the fun!!

I also love those R2D2 Mickey Ears- Adorable!!

We are going to WDW the week before you

WELCOME! I totally started reading your PTR before ... and now I'm going to continue!

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

Alright... About March '15
AKA the Shortest TR Ever
​

You may have noticed in my intro that I went to the World in March. I didn't go with my parents, and I didn't go with Liz. So who accompanied me on this trip, you might be wondering. Well, wonder no more! Because the answer is ME. Well, that's not the whole truth.

A few years back, I met another Disney fanatic while I was vacationing. We'll call him R. Basically, we met at the Beach Club at the pool on a hot August afternoon and we've been friends ever since. R went to school in Florida and now works for the Mouse. So basically, every time I'm down there, we hang out and he deals with me while we go souvenir shopping.

A few weeks after my January trip, we were talking and I mentioned that it would be hilarious if I went down to Disney for spring break again. I started looking up flight prices for kicks, and there was a commercial airlines flight home that was less than $100.

R lives very close to the world, as most cast members do. He's always offered his place for me to stay at, but with this cheap flight ...

I called my mom, who has met R before and knows that we've known each other forever. She asks if I have enough money for my flights (I do), and she points out that we have a no expiration ticket from 2004.

I'm sold! Basically, I flew across the country (being a northeasterner, north to south counts as cross-country even if its not in the traditional sense.) to spend some time with R and exploring the parks on my own, since he still had shifts. It works.


We went to Magic Kingdom the first day, and met up with another one of my CM friends who used to DIS with me in our awkward teen years. We watched Dream Along with Mickey, and more importantly, Festival of Fantasy. Some highlights from my time at Magic Kingdom:


We got to MK at around noon-thirtyish. Normally I get there early in the morning, when Main Street USA is very sleepy. Hearing the music, smelling the popcorn, seeing the castle in the sunshine, and the bright balloons along with Photopass photographers corralling families into photos was completely overwhelming. Talk about sensory overload! I cried.


Me & R
I totally wore the sparkly Minnie Mouse ears when I wasn't in pictures.


You can kind of see them here! Backstory about the churros: I only bought one but the guy who was passing out churros insisted that I have another. I think I may have shed a tear. At some point in my Disney life, I skipped out on having a churro, and now balance has been restored to the universe.

After FOF, R had to go to work. I stayed with my other CM friend. We met up with some of HER CM friends and got to see some of the characters. Then she had to leave for work, leaving me by myself. I charged my phone for a bit and talked to my parents.

I didn't feel like waiting on lines, so I checked MDE. It did not have a wait time listed for Pirates. So I went to check it out and the line was only 15 minutes! Then I bought a Dole Whip and headed back to Main Street to catch a Dapper Dans show.


The Dans are always a wonderful bunch to watch and interact with. I always try to say hello after a show if I stick around. This time, Green Dan came up to me and gave me a hug and said, "Long time no see!" (I had seen him in January which felt pretty recent to me haha.) And then he said, "How've you been?!" "I've been good! I've been good!" I just about cried. 18 years of going to Disney World almost every year, and one of the Dapper Dans remembered silly ol' me! We talked for a bit, because I caught the second half of their show. I wanted to see one in full, so I confirmed the location for the 6:45 show.

Between shows, I went to see my pal, Mickey. I got the timer tag which made me feel AWESOME. I love going to see him by myself because he tends to spend more interaction time with smaller parties. I've noticed that with larger groups, he'll take the picture and say a few things, but it's pretty quick. When I went in January, he had his assistant get him his magic cards, and we spent a few good minutes doing a magic trick. This trip, he asked me how he should pose on his Magician Poster.

[I was gonna upload a picture but it's not working.]

After Mickey, I saw the second Dans show. I went to Casey's for dinner because their Kielbasa [Polish sausage] sandwiches remind me of how my Aunt Mary used to make kielbasa for us. Seeing that I was by myself, I didn't want to take up a whole table, depriving a family of a traditional sit-at-the-dinner-table dining experience. So I brought my tray over to the new Hub Grass and had a nice little picnic. I laid there for a bit and realized I was absolutely exhausted. I hit up the Monorail, my favorite form of transportation, and then took a cab from the Contemporary to get to R's place.

EPCOT to follow soon.

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

St. Patrick's Day in EPCOT​

R and I got to EPCOT at around noon, which is so much later than what I'm used to. The standby wait time for Spaceship Earth was 70 minutes. I couldn't believe it!

Luckily, Mission: Space usually has a much shorter wait time, so we went on that. Orange side, of course! We were paired up with an older couple who had never been on the ride before. R and I had a lot of fun goofing off, since I'm pretty sure we both know the ride sequence verbatim.

We headed to Mousegear after that so I could get my shopping game on. Because I'm in Florida so much, there's not a whole lot I really need to get anymore.

After that, Starbucks!
*Cue the Choir of Angels singing*

R had to go to work, leaving me to explore World Showcase all by myself. I could get used to this.

I entered through Mexico. I had flashbacks to last spring when Liz and I tried drinking around the world by starting in Mexico. Margaritas are strong. I pondered my options while I listened to Mariachi Cobre. It was the first time I'd ever seen a show! I was very impressed. All of the men have an excellent stage presence, and many resort guests sang along.


Case in point.

I ended up ordering a sangria, in Spanish. I wandered over to the benches in Norway and sat there and sipped away as I planned out my WS adventures.

China: I stopped for some egg roll and water.

Germany: I said hello to Snow White

Italy: I stopped for some Moscato.

US: I caught a Voices of Liberty show. Very interesting to see how they have evolved in the last few years!

Japan: I bought a California roll and munched away during Matsuriza, the taiko drummers. I met an adorable 3-year old who was with her mom. She kept asking me a lot of questions about what I was eating, and her mom was trying to tell her to stop asking me questions, but I really didn't mind. Glad I could help out in the cultural experience department.

France: I met up with my friend, Sleeping Beauty. She also remembered me from January, and asked me where my castle is. It was a cute moment. Also, the Grey Goose slushies are AMAZING. My mom and I split one in January, and I knew I had to have another.

United Kingdom: Fish and chips, fish and chips, fish and chips. With a ton of water. And pear cider. I haven't found pear cider in the states at all, only when I was in London. I always try to get some when I'm around. I caught the British Revolution show and then called it a day.


Image upload is being all sorts of awful.


Here's a picture of the views leaving EPCOT.

 

[AshBriSmi]

Me & R

Awesome picture!! I absolutely LOVE your dress by the way!

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

Awesome picture!! I absolutely LOVE your dress by the way!

Thank you! I've had the dress for a few years now and I completely forgot where I bought it from!

 

[AshBriSmi]

Thank you! I've had the dress for a few years now and I completely forgot where I bought it from!

I wish we had an overlapping day so we could do a meet... I leave the day you arrive

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

I wish we had an overlapping day so we could do a meet... I leave the day you arrive

Don't be sad! You are going to Disney, after all! We'll have fun catching up with our TR's!

 

[AshBriSmi]

Don't be sad! You are going to Disney, after all! We'll have fun catching up with our TR's!

Very, VERY true!!

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

Our ADRs!​

Whee! We are definitely changing it up this trip! My family used to be very food-conservative in the World and liked to stick to our tried-and-true places. But, in the last year, my dad has lost about 70 pounds, my mom has lost about 40, and I'm on a very weird diet restriction. I don't have food allergies, bless the heavens.

Spoiler: About My Food Probz

I'm prone to kidney stones. I gotta do what I have to in order to prevent more. The list of foods I can't have is downright bizarre, but makes sense if you're forced to do the research. I wouldn't recommend looking into it for fun because it's complicated.

Consequently, we've gotten more adventurous as a family, and Liz is content with whatever. I'm the holder of the picky-eater crown. That, on top of the weird dietary restrictions, makes planning a bit of a nightmare.

June 14th
We were originally torn between Raglan Road in DTD and Trattoria al Forno at the Boardwalk for dinner. The 14th is travel day, and we have a car, so we can pretty much do whatever. I hit up allears.net for the menus. I can't say I personally liked very much of what Raglan had to offer. However, I was really excited to potentially spend some time at the Boardwalk. We'd had dinner there once, a very long time ago. It's a sweet place.

I liked what Trattoria al Forno had to offer, but the desserts department is incredibly lacking. Except for the gelato, every other dessert either had nuts or chocolate in them, and I can't have either.

I suggested that we go to the Boardwalk anyway, and walk over the Beaches and Cream if we save enough room for dessert. I don't think anyone's mad about that.

June 15th
Magic Kingdom day!
We decided to leave the park and monorail over to Kona to grab some dinner. I think it'll be nice, and we can lounge around the beach as we digest. We've been to Kona before and loved it, although I'm sure there have been some menu changes! Pretty sure I just ignored allears entirely for this one.

June 16th
EPCOT
My mom threw a curveball at us and suggested we try Biergarten. We've never been there before, preferring Tutto Italia & Le Cefs de France (and Le Cellier before it got to be ~$50 per steak). My dad liked the menu, and I didn't see any glaring problems with it. So we decided to book a reservation here.

 

[BlondeAppetit]

​

We were able to select the times and attractions we wanted: Soarin' for 10:30, Mickey Meet and Greet at like 11:35 and Mission: Space at 12:40. No problem.

I go back in to make the selections for my parents, who are going to come in time to ride Space with us. I set their FP for the same time, and Soarin' for shortly after. They don't really care about having a 3rd FastPass in EPCOT. I'm sure Disney loves them.

When I went to confirm our Soarin' time - Disney grouped all four of us together! Every time I went to modify the group, my selection would be over ridden. Every time.

THE PHONE CALL
Naturally, I want this problem fixed and I want it fixed now. So, I call, and a very lovely Cast Member picks up my line. I think her name was Bonnie Joe. I explained the problem, and what I was trying to do. She logged into the system and managed to change mine and Liz's Soarin' time.

We talked for a little bit after. She thought it was really interesting that Soarin' didn't even show up as a selection option the first time. She also told me that the CMs use Google Chrome to fix any problems, and I told her that I made my selections from Chrome. I thought that maybe the browser was affecting my experience. It turns out that Disney does not recommend using Internet Explorer.

The more you know!

View attachment 88570
We just wanna go on our favorite rides!

I just helped someone book their Fast Passes and Soarin was not listed. However, I modified the Fast Passes that I selected and there it was as an option. The Frozen sing-along wasn't originally there either. I tried again today and there it was! So weird! They are going mid-June too!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I'm in! I had Trattoria prior the Princess Half & was happy with it. They weren't great but it was a good value. There is always the Boardwalk Bakery or Beaches & Cream if you need a better dessert though.

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

I just helped someone book their Fast Passes and Soarin was not listed. However, I modified the Fast Passes that I selected and there it was as an option. The Frozen sing-along wasn't originally there either. I tried again today and there it was! So weird! They are going mid-June too!

That's really strange. If you have the time to spare or care enough, give Disney a call because they're always looking for feedback on that kind of stuff.

I'm in! I had Trattoria prior the Princess Half & was happy with it. They weren't great but it was a good value. There is always the Boardwalk Bakery or Beaches & Cream if you need a better dessert though.

We're thinking of walking around after dinner and not staying there for dessert. Just curious, what wasn't too great about it?

 

[Dis_Yoda]

We're thinking of walking around after dinner and not staying there for dessert. Just curious, what wasn't too great about it?

While the food was good, I've definitely had better Italian at both Disney (Il Mulino & Tutto Italia) & here in Naples (which is home to like 100 Italian restaurants)