Is Mickey a Captain or a Jedi? Both! - May '15 Land & Sea ~ Updated 6/14: Trip Report Started!

[Tracy161]

Oh my gosh, you guys! I don't think I could have possibly picked a better week to do a Disney cruise with weekends before and after at WDW!

I know!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are SOOOO lucky!!! AND it's the tail end of our trips so I'm not going to be worried that I'll get myself overly tired at the start of my trip!!! Works out perfectly!!!!!!

 

[hokieinpa]

So just to get this straight...

Flower & Garden
Stars Wars Weekend
DCL
24-Hour Event

Most perfect trip ever!!

So excited for you!

 

[AprilRenee]

Just got caught up! Everything looks great!! And Woohoo for a 24 hr day!!
Anniebabymu just did one on her last trip and had info in her TR (not that you can't find one by searching. But just in case you wanted a recommendation )

 

[Dugette]

I sent you the images via Facebook - you will need to print them out on iron-on transfer paper and then, well, iron them onto a shirt of your choice (just be sure you use the right iron on transfer paper - as it differs if you are using a light or dark colored shirt)

Thanks so much for sending them! If I manage to work up some minimal level of ambition in the next 2 months (ha, no guarantee on that...), I would love to make that princess shirt for Izzy!

First off, I didn't realize how many booths they now had for the Flower & Garden Festival ... it basically is Food & Wine at this point just with topiaries and, I guess, no food demonstration things

I know, isn't it crazy?! I didn't even realize they had food booths until I was reading Danielle's TR from last year's event. It's not as many booths as F&W, but it's still a ton of options. They might even have some semi-food-related demos? I thought I remembered seeing something, but not sure what.

Well, Ghost Pepper anything certainly can be spicy - but hard to tell how much would be involved. Probably makes sense to wait for reviews I am sure people will comment on the spice level. The Urban Mary sounds pretty good - I love pickeled string beans and they are great in bloody marys

Yes, we'll probably have to keep an eye on the reviews to determine if Dug wants the Ghost Pepper dish. I came across another site with a big write-up on the food booths (can't remember what site right now) and it was not quite as rosy as the DFB. I remember him saying that the pickled bean is really good, but there is only one and that was the best part of the drink.

Ok - that just looks and sounds really good!

Mmmmm.... (Yes! I found some drooling emoticons! )

I am a big fan of duck and that looks pretty good. If you like dark meat from chickens or turkeys you will probably like duck (it is basically all dark meat)

I'm more of a white meat person, so I guess I'm good. Dug, however, loves dark meat and also enjoys duck (on the rare occasions he has it somewhere).

I saw these in the FB post from DFB and it looked so cool! Judi was totally interested in them.

They seem like a fun treat! Even the not-so-rosy write-up recommended them.

At a past F&WF I really liked the steamed bun from the China booth and it was one of my favorite things so I would give that a shot - it sounds really good!

Oh, that's good to know.

Ooh, love burnt ends (if you haven't had them, it the ends of the brisket that they throw back in the smoker until really charred. The hash looks good - though hope there is enough of that gravy as the potatoes and meat will need it

Hope this is good. The burnt/charred thing still doesn't appeal to me, being someone that picks burnt parts off her food at times, but I'm willing to try it anyway. Everyone says its tasty, so I'll give it a go.

Nice to see some different beers being offered - those look good. The other flight looks like more standard stuff - though the Cigar City Jai Alai is one of my favorite IPAs

Thanks for the recommendation on the one. Dug thought that too - that the other one looked more standard, so not as big a priority as the more unique flight.

Looks like a lot of great stuff and you are developing quite a plan of attack that should leave you satisfied and full!

I hope so! (this is clearly way too fun for me...)

I just posted about Flower and Garden food selections, too! Wise minds think alike, eh?! I literally pushed "post" about 5 minutes ago on my PTR and you already have me pulling out my list and making updates based on your post! I just wish we were leaving tomorrow, don't you?!

Great minds, for sure! I don't know if I want to leave tomorrow - I feel like I need to firm up plans first. But I wouldn't mind it if some of these food items showed up at my door tomorrow, you know - to munch on while I work on our plans.

I saw that brownie too, yum. Why must Epcot have all the good snacks. So many to try and so little time.

Totally agree! There are way too many good things to eat at Epcot! I think I could spend weeks in Epcot and still not get to all the good food/drinks.

The Star Wars weekend stuff is stressing me out too. Why must they wait so long to announce everything when they expect ADRs and FP+s so early

Yes! I am super stressed by the lack of SWW info. I've now had to make ADRs and FP+ with only a foggy idea about what we may be doing each day. We've already made tons of ADR changes and I expect we'll be making lots of FP+ changes (and maybe more ADR changes) once the official SWW plans are available. This is honestly one of my most difficult trips to plan ever. Maybe THE most.

These both look so good, I think those are the standouts for sure. Of course some of the drinks look really good too.

I know, they looks so good! Though that other review I mentioned earlier in the comments said the Italian pinwheel thing was awful, so.... I don't know, I'll see what other reviews say over the next two months. I guess the nice thing is that we're going at the end of F&G, so we'll know what to expect by then.

If the weather is hot you might want to consider the watermelon salad from Florida booth. I remember that being really refreshing on a hot day last May. I took off the pickled onion, but the rest was fantastic. I even tried to recreate it a few times last summer.

Thanks for the recommendation! It does sound intriguing. I keep seeing an ad on Disney Junior (well, not really an ad, but a show-interrupter) where the lady is making some kind of watermelon salad and it always strikes me as strange. But possibly quite good when it's hot out.

It is so funny, but true that you have to think about what Izzy may want to eat, since some of those things can be to spicy for her.

And, who knows, maybe she'd love it just as it is. She surprises us sometimes. But she may hate it too, you just can't tell in advance.

 

[Dugette]

I'm with you on that. About the only seafood I'll eat is breaded and fried.

Same here. I am a big weirdo on why I don't eat seafood. I think most people don't like the taste or something along those lines. Me? I can't eat anything that still looks sort-of like it did when alive. The majority of seafood is like that, so...yuck! When I was a kid, I really liked shrimp. Until I learned what it was. Now I can't touch it. Luckily, I can eat fish nuggets and fish sandwiches without issue. This also applies to non-seafood that looks too real. Like I could eat a hot dog, but probably couldn't deal with eating anything at a pig roast. Etc. (Big weirdo confession over. )

How have I never tried that????

I know, it never occurred to me either, but looks tasty! Pancake with cheese, yes please! (I must be tired, I'm making dumb rhymes now - guess I was up too late making FP+ choices last night).

Holy cow! What kind of alcohol do they put in that?

I don't know, but I'm sure it's filled with pixie dust and magic.

I'll take one of everything, please!

I know!

Yeah... they do have quite a few drinks/treats that contain alcohol that I'm sure look like a nice treat to the kids.

Naptime items, I guess.

Wow... that's a new one to me. And yeah, I'm with you on it being the only sushi I'd eat.

But yes, I've tried the real thing. And no, I'll never try it again.

Other than trying Izzy's avocado roll once (no fish), I've avoided it. Still looks too "real" for me, I guess.

Ok, if they put this booth next to the pineapple booth, I'd be set. But I'd probably never make it to another booth and they'd need a forklift to roll me out at the end of the day.

Ha, I can't remember the map now, but I feel like they might be near each other? But I'm terrible at remembering where things are, so who knows. Okay, I just looked and the Smokehouse is by American Adventure, but the Pineapple Promenade is over near Canada, I think. Luckily, there are a lot of booths between to help you get sustenance on the journey between the two.

Oh, I'm sure she'd love that. I know our kids would!

Yep, I think it would be right up her alley.

I did enjoy the run down. It makes me want to go sometime to try some of the nice extras they have there at the booths. And it also makes me hungry. Very, very hungry.

Ooooh, another chance to use a drooling smilie... (this one totally looks like it's getting sick at the end )

 

[Dugette]

Should not have read this update while I am waiting in Bob to get home for dinner...now I am starving!

Looks so yummy and some of the drinks are so pretty!

Oh no, sorry! The DIS does that to me a lot...probably too many late-night snacks are TR post induced here.

Burnt ends are kind of a St. Louis thing(maybe Midwest?) I have been eating them my whole life and LOVE them! Try them! They are kinda different but worth a try for sure!

Thanks for the feedback! I will give them a try, as they get such rave reviews.

I really want one of those pineapple digs right now!

I would happily eat a pineapple dog for dinner. Izzy actually asked for a hot dog for breakfast this morning, so she'd probably be on board with that too. (No, I didn't give her a hot dog for breakfast and we're all out).

Yum, everything looks so amazing! Great choices. One word of warning regarding ghost pepper--- my husband loooooooves super spicy food (we lived in Colorado chili country for years), but whenever he has something with any ghost pepper in it (even if it's a little bit in the background) he seems to get really sick! Like, can't-get-out-of-bed-with-horrible-stomach-pain sick. It's totally weird, but he has no food allergies or anything... Its just wreaks havoc. I think maybe humans aren't supposed eat things that are that hot!

Yikes! That's really scary! I have a feeling Dug is going to chicken out on the ghost pepper. Of course, this is Disney, so they tend to tone down the flavors, so I guess we'll see what the consensus is on this dish.

Such a bummer about Palo. I definitely prefer the brunch to the dinner (I have dreams about the chicken Parmesan. It is so dang good!!!). Hopefully something will open up, though. In my experience people get on the ship and start gorging at Cabanas and suddenly aren't hungry for Palo. Of course, some people (not naming names) will just keep their reservation and have breakfast #2 or #3...

That would be me.

Haha, nothing wrong with multiple breakfasts, especially on vacation! Most people, like you, seem to strongly prefer lunch to dinner at Palo. But there is a guy on my cruise meet thread that didn't like the Palo brunch but loves the dinner. He does make a good point about the chocolate soufflé that you can only get at dinner.

Now that I am envisioning my solo evening at EPCOT I’ll play along with you and the outdoor kitchens!

Yay!

Botanas Botanico – the cachapa con queso looks good and the La Tizana looks really fun too! Nice choices! Andrew would love the ceviche

Both seem like reasonable unique items without being too odd. Probably safe choices.

Urban Farm Eats – I really dislike any salad LOL so that doesn’t look very appealing (though I’d pick off all the goat cheese, yum). The “Naanwich” sounds interesting.

Ha, I don't really mind salad, but don't usually seek it out either (well, except the Med Salad at Noodles - that is the BEST). But this one does have enough tasty stuff piled onto the lettuce that it could be good.

However the Pineapple Promenade sounds super fun! Esp the dole whip with rum YUM! I bet Aria would love that violet lemonade, and it is SO pretty!

Yes, some good stuff there! I did get a Dole Whip with Rum in August at AK, but I had to consume it in a rush, so I'd really like to savor this one a bit more. And the different kind of rum intrigues me too. Danielle RAVED about that Violet Lemonade in her TR from last year, so I think it's worth at least one try (if not many...)

Fleur de Lys – YES the gnocchis and macaron will be must haves! Those gnocchis sound SO good. It looks like the must have is that ice pop although the frozen slush sounds fun too. Agreed the ice pop will be hard to explain to Aria as to why she doesn’t get one LOL.

MMMM, want all of these NOW. I guess my lunch of leftovers-from-Izzy's-plate and a cookie was not sufficient today. I may need to go eat something after this post...

Taste of Marrakesh – the chicken kebab sounds pretty good but I could probably pass this one up too.

I agree, sounds good, but not sure it's worth the stomach space with so many other things that sound even better.

Hanami – is this in Japan? The frushi sounds really fun and something I’d like to share with Aria. Maybe I’d try the curry bun without her.

Yes, Japan. I'm guessing the kids would enjoy the frushi. Maybe she can munch on that and you can try the curry bun.

Aria would enjoy the smokehouse, but I think that is a big huge no for me.

Ha, or she can munch on this while you try the curry bun...

I would try the prosciutto on the Fior di Latte in Italy though, that does look really good. That limoncello panna cotta sounds refreshing too. I LOVE peach bellinis too!!

The other review I found (I THINK it was on easywdw, but not 100% sure) said the Fior di Latte was NOT good and the Bellinis weren't worth it either. I will check other reviews, though - hoping he just had an off-day there.

At the lotus house, what is in the kung pao chicken bun? I hate when they don’t offer a description! The vegetable spring rolls sound good and the bubble tea looks fun too.

That is a good question. I think the DFB probably had more info, but I can't remember. Whatever it said, it only got it to "maybe" status with us.

In Mexico, I almost want to try the Tacos al Pastor despite it being pork – it just sounds and looks SO good! Aria would enjoy that too. Chocolate flan looks good too! Blueberry pomegranate margarita looks good too lol! Though I might still have to pop inside for my favorite margarita

That other review also really disliked the stuff here. I might be going inside for a margarita too, as he didn't recommend the blueberry one.

At Florida Fresh the tart does look great. Dug is having quite a few beer flights – lucky! LOL! I need to look into Wine Flights aside from Italy.

Yeah, that tart looks yummy. Dug might just have the one beer flight - the second one's kind-of iffy. Mmmm, wine flights...

I hadn’t seen that fruit and cheese plate at the festival center – Aria would enjoy that too.

Good snack option to keep in mind. Though I think I read they are only open Friday-Sunday??

Have you seen any photos of the play area? I saw there *is* one but didn’t see any pics! I’m excited to take Aria there. If only she wasn’t 3 yet I’d take her in with me that EPCOT night I want to snack around the world!

Oh, I didn't even think about that you'd need a ticket now for her to get in that night. Maybe you can get her to sleep in the stroller and bring her in as an under-3? I don't know how they check these things, but if she's just asleep for the night anyway... I probably shouldn't give you ideas.

I read there are a couple play areas. I think one is a Cars play area and one is a Monsters U play area. Haven't seen pics yet.

I am wondering if there will be any special events like at F&W? Or special packages so we don’t have to wait in CRAZY LONG lines! Hmmm

That would be cool. I haven't heard of anything.

 

[Dugette]

Well, if you don't manage some solo time in MK now, you just aren't trying!

Remember, you can sleep when you get back home!

I don't foresee a lot of solid nights of sleep on this trip, between the late nights and early mornings. Good thing there's only a 3-day work week when we get back, I guess.

Need this in my life! I should try and find a recipe similar to this, since we have no future plans for WDW.

Mmm, yes, and mail some to me. I did once make some Caramel Brownies using Riesen candies and they were delish. But no peanut butter, so missing a key ingredient!

Is she holding rubber chickens?! She's so cute!

She is! They have lots of random fun stuff there for the kids. Here's yesterday, when she gathered all the green ones up:

Well, this may not work for you but it works for me so thank you!

Hey, happy to help. It's at Target and there were some other cute ones on the same rack. It is a bit big, though - like the young boys vs. the toddler section.

What is this? Very cool. You always find the best kids stuff!

It's a travel AquaDoodle. Someone once recommended it as a good airplane toy awhile back. Izzy really never cared for it until recently, though. Now she gets a kick out of it - and making us draw her things.

No way! Ugh that really sucks. I had no idea they weren't secure in your cart. Not that it probably makes a difference now, but did you call DCL to see what happened? However, Palo dinner is fabulous!

I didn't call. I don't know if it was a fluke or what? It was there and then...gone. So weird. I feel good about being able to get one when we board, though.

This sounds really good!

If you like spicy fish, I guess.

Or just go to AK and try one Actually, this one's cheaper than the one at AK. Hmm...

Probably smaller too. I don't think we're going to get to AK on this trip. 8 nights and still not even close to enough WDW time.

This is a massive yes!

I just read somewhere that it's really small, though, so not sure what to think.

Another big yes from me! Not that my vote counts but I like to play along

I will take your vote into consideration.

Very true.

I will be getting to my Dole Whip with Rum experience in my TR, but suffice it to say that Izzy didn't see why I couldn't share mine with her when she ran out.

That's a very good description and that sounds way more tasty than saying a cupcake with bacon.

Totally agree!

You seriously picked the best weekend to go! Awesome!

It's pretty sweet to have so much going on within one trip. But also stressful to plan for it all.

Very cool!! I just read about that and then the frozen summer fun coming back, too. What are your plans with the 24 hour day and Izzy?

Honestly, not 100% sure yet. Not sure if she'll even get to the MK that day, the way our schedule is looking. I should be there late at night, though, after hopping over from Epcot's late magic hours - and Izzy and Dug will be sleeping in the room.

 

[Dugette]

Your plans for the food booths look great - so many tasty things! The fun, festive beverages and the desserts look especially tasty.

I know, some of those drinks are awesome-looking! And I always love desserts...

Hooray for being there on the 24-hour day! I will arrive in Orlando a mere six hours after Magic Kingdom closes at 6am - I thought that might be a possibility if they did another 24-hour day on the same weekend as last year. I'm okay with it as we'll be in Orlando for two weeks, but I must admit it would be fun!

I knew there was a chance it would happen during our trip too, but it's pretty cool that it is. However, I don't think we'll be taking big advantage of it, based on our schedule at other parks (SWW especially). Too bad you are arriving so soon afterwards, but I've heard the park is less busy the day after, so maybe that will be a good thing. And 2 weeks?! Wow!

Good luck on your Fastpass+ picks! I'm a bit nervous about that myself as I've never had to deal with Fastpass+. I'm sure I'll be just fine, but it does add an extra layer of stress to the whole deal.

Thanks, it can sure add stress sometimes. I've done three other trips with FP+, but didn't have any issues with it. This trip, it's been a lot tougher, not really even knowing for sure what park we'll want to be at (due to lack of SWW detail). So much stress this time around.

Ok, at this point I should just plan all my vacations around when you go given the flight prices you have been getting and now all the stuff happening at Disney when you go! That is great though and a 24 hour day is something I definitely want to experience at one point. I wonder if you can make an ADR for Izzy at the baby care center so she can sleep and you go get some solo time

Haha, you're welcome to tag along, once you convince Judi, of course. Ha, that would be awesome if the baby care center did that.

Awesome

I know!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are SOOOO lucky!!! AND it's the tail end of our trips so I'm not going to be worried that I'll get myself overly tired at the start of my trip!!! Works out perfectly!!!!!!

Good point! At least we won't burn ourselves out before the cruise.

So just to get this straight...

Flower & Garden
Stars Wars Weekend
DCL
24-Hour Event

Most perfect trip ever!!

So excited for you!

Thanks, that sounds about right!

Just got caught up! Everything looks great!! And Woohoo for a 24 hr day!!
Anniebabymu just did one on her last trip and had info in her TR (not that you can't find one by searching. But just in case you wanted a recommendation )

Oh, cool, thanks - I will have to find that. I really don't know a lot about it, so do want to read up on TRs.

 

[Dugette]

Fast Pass Scramble

Hi, everybody! I should be going to bed, but I want to make a quick update first.

*As you saw, the day our cruise docks and we return to WDW is the 24-hour day in the Magic Kingdom. Pretty sweet.

*I learned the other day that Pirates will be down for refurb all summer, starting only a few days before our trip! So bummed and hoping it gets delayed, but I think it’s unlikely we’ll get to Yo Ho this time.

*I wrote this the other day at work, while peeking at the My Disney Experience dining section too often between tasks: In today’s episode of ADR Hoarders, we meet “Dugette”. She has a problem. She can’t help but browse for ADRs in MDE, despite already having more ADRs than she can handle. When she finds a “coveted” one, she MUST.HAVE.IT. Her collection is now overflowing her ADR shelves and draining her bank account. But she forges on, snatching up every desirable ADR she sees…

*Our FP+ window opened up at 11pm last night (Saturday night). Dug and I were scrambling to figure out our best guess at a schedule right up to the last moment. We were going to do it the night before, but I had to go to bed early, as I was feeling somewhat sick to my stomach. Luckily, that feeling went away overnight, but Dug was at a conference all day, so we only had a couple hours that evening to get things squared away. I had worked on the schedule a lot prior to that, but really needed his help, as the potential SWW events were really causing me trouble. We managed to work out something we were reasonably happy with, then get the FP+ we wanted.

*We also changed a lot of ADRs. Because, of course. We may now be eating in 3 castles within two days.

*Despite having searched for answers beforehand about how our split stay (WDW/cruise/WDW) would affect FP+ windows and finding positive answers, we were only allowed to make FP+ for the first leg of our trip. It does NOT work like ADRs, where you have 10 days open up after your resort stay starts. We’re stuck waiting until next Sunday night to make our other FP+ for the second part of our stay. Hoping we can still get what we want – especially the high-demand MK ones (Dug has not ridden Mine Train yet, so that is a must).

After that giant tease, I think I’m going to save the rest of the schedule details for another update. Too much to write and too little time now. Though I will say that I expect lots of further change once we know the SWW details. And I also know that we need to work more MK into the schedule, even if it’s just me and Izzy with Dug at SWW. This is a really tough trip to plan!

 

[afwdwfan]

As you saw, the day our cruise docks and we return to WDW is the 24-hour day in the Magic Kingdom. Pretty sweet.

That really is awesome! I'm excited for you! I'd love to be able to go for one of the 24 hour events sometime. I just love the idea of seeing the sun come up while I'm still inside the park.

We also changed a lot of ADRs. Because, of course. We may now be eating in 3 castles within two days.

That's a lot of castle... I'm sure it will be fun though!

Despite having searched for answers beforehand about how our split stay (WDW/cruise/WDW) would affect FP+ windows and finding positive answers, we were only allowed to make FP+ for the first leg of our trip.

I'm sorry this didn't work out for you. Honestly though, I'm not very surprised by that. I thought it seemed like a bit of a stretch that it would work that way given the fact that FP+ is tied to room reservations and ticket reservations.

Hoping we can still get what we want – especially the high-demand MK ones (Dug has not ridden Mine Train yet, so that is a must).

I'm sure you'll be fine. Good luck!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Because, of course.

--- might be one of my favorite new expressions that I need to add to my daily life.

Your ADR hoarder story made me think that it would be cool if they mashed up other HGTV/TLC/Bravo/Food Network shows with Disney (like they had done with the My Yard Goes Disney shows) ... like an episode of Chopped with all Disney ingredients (Dole Whip, Mickey Bar, etc.). Those Kitchen or Bathroom Crasher shows to make your room over the top Disney themed. Income Property or House Hunters where they try to find a vacation home near Disney, etc.

That must really be frustrating with having to plan now even FP+ without knowing the SWW schedule. I guess just try to make sure you have the must dos on the days you aren't at MGM (like the Mine Train for Dug) and then you probably will be able to move the rest around. Good luck!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Don't worry about the ADR "hoarding" (and I'm sure you're not a hoarder!). You'll release the ADRs you don't need - you're just trying to make your vacation as fabulous as possible!

Eating in three castles in two days? I like the sound of that!

Unfortunately, it no longer appears that you can make ADRs for the entire +10 period if you have a split stay anymore. I read on the boards that you used to be able to do this, but when I booked ADRs for my upcoming split stay it only let me book the for the number of days of each stay. For example, the first stay that I used the 180+10 was for two nights, and it allowed me to book three days of ADRs. The remaining seven days of the +10 was not highlighted or available for booking. It was not very fun getting up at 5:45 in the morning a few days apart! (I did it anyway, of course! ) As I managed to get a highly coveted Be Our Guest slot at a decent time on the second day of my second stay, I'm sure you'll have no problem getting the fast passes that you need!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Don't think of it as hoarding, think of it as spreading pixie dust at the last minute!

 

[jesemeca]

Hi! I will be visiting Disney World May 15th-22nd. So our trips overlap some. Maybe we will run into each other! I'm insanely jealous that you are going on the Dream! She stole my heart the moment I stepped on! Can't wait to visit her again!

Maybe I should do a PTR!

 

[Tracy161]

*I learned the other day that Pirates will be down for refurb all summer, starting only a few days before our trip! So bummed and hoping it gets delayed, but I think it’s unlikely we’ll get to Yo Ho this time.

I know!!! I am so heartbroken over this!!!

Bummer about having to wait to make your other FP+s, but at least it'll buy you some more time to get everything in order. I can make them tomorrow night... and I'm both excited and nervous!!!

 

[Dugette]

That really is awesome! I'm excited for you! I'd love to be able to go for one of the 24 hour events sometime. I just love the idea of seeing the sun come up while I'm still inside the park.

That does sound cool. Though I doubt we'll see it. I think that it will most likely be the darker part of the night.

That's a lot of castle... I'm sure it will be fun though!

I hope so! I may have gone a bit castle/princess/high value ADR crazy. Since, you know, NONE of these were initially on our radar.

I'm sorry this didn't work out for you. Honestly though, I'm not very surprised by that. I thought it seemed like a bit of a stretch that it would work that way given the fact that FP+ is tied to room reservations and ticket reservations.

Yeah, I wasn't sure what to think, as we've never gone off-property mid-trip before, but I was hoping for the best. Oh, well, just a few more days.

I'm sure you'll be fine. Good luck!

Thanks, I hope so! I just liked the idea of booking Mine Train and A&E towards the end of our trip, but now it's only a few days into our trip, in a way. I don't know, hoping it's fine, though.

--- might be one of my favorite new expressions that I need to add to my daily life.

Haha, go for it! There just didn't seem to be any better way to express that thought.

Your ADR hoarder story made me think that it would be cool if they mashed up other HGTV/TLC/Bravo/Food Network shows with Disney (like they had done with the My Yard Goes Disney shows) ... like an episode of Chopped with all Disney ingredients (Dole Whip, Mickey Bar, etc.). Those Kitchen or Bathroom Crasher shows to make your room over the top Disney themed. Income Property or House Hunters where they try to find a vacation home near Disney, etc.

Oh, I forgot I once saw a My Yard Goes Disney show. I love your idea - that would be pretty cool, especially the House Hunters thing, I think!

That must really be frustrating with having to plan now even FP+ without knowing the SWW schedule. I guess just try to make sure you have the must dos on the days you aren't at MGM (like the Mine Train for Dug) and then you probably will be able to move the rest around. Good luck!

Thanks. The whole schedule is such a complicated puzzle. Any time you move one thing, there's like a cascade of other things that need to shift around and . It's all just overwhelming, since we STILL don't really know what we're going to actually be doing - so it's all just endless contingency plans.

Don't worry about the ADR "hoarding" (and I'm sure you're not a hoarder!). You'll release the ADRs you don't need - you're just trying to make your vacation as fabulous as possible!

Haha, thanks. This is a great self-help group. At one point, I may have had two big meals within two hours, just because they were both really good ones to get. Even I realized that was silly. And it didn't hurt that I found a better one with a better time to change the second one to.

Eating in three castles in two days? I like the sound of that!

Me too!

Unfortunately, it no longer appears that you can make ADRs for the entire +10 period if you have a split stay anymore. I read on the boards that you used to be able to do this, but when I booked ADRs for my upcoming split stay it only let me book the for the number of days of each stay. For example, the first stay that I used the 180+10 was for two nights, and it allowed me to book three days of ADRs. The remaining seven days of the +10 was not highlighted or available for booking. It was not very fun getting up at 5:45 in the morning a few days apart! (I did it anyway, of course! ) As I managed to get a highly coveted Be Our Guest slot at a decent time on the second day of my second stay, I'm sure you'll have no problem getting the fast passes that you need!

Oh, really? I made all of our ADRs when the window opened. Maybe a recent change? Yay for getting Be Our Guest!

Don't think of it as hoarding, think of it as spreading pixie dust at the last minute!

Thanks, this is the best self-help group ever. I did drop a Star Wars breakfast late at night and didn't have time to post about it, so I hope someone was filled with pixie dust when they stumbled across that one.

Hi! I will be visiting Disney World May 15th-22nd. So our trips overlap some. Maybe we will run into each other! I'm insanely jealous that you are going on the Dream! She stole my heart the moment I stepped on! Can't wait to visit her again!

Maybe I should do a PTR!

Yes, we are indeed overlapping! If you see us, say hi! I cannot wait to get on the Dream, great to hear how much you loved it!

I know!!! I am so heartbroken over this!!!

I was so sad to come across this one. I just love Pirates. But I guess that it's down often now and desperately in need of a refurb? Still sad.

Bummer about having to wait to make your other FP+s, but at least it'll buy you some more time to get everything in order. I can make them tomorrow night... and I'm both excited and nervous!!!

That's true. Gives some review time. Good luck with yours!

 

[ashw100]

Oh I feel your pain. We are only doing one day at SWW so only one day to change when events are released. Last year I don't think announced the schedule until the end of April, why must Disney torture us .

 

[Dugette]

Oh I feel your pain. We are only doing one day at SWW so only one day to change when events are released. Last year I don't think announced the schedule until the end of April, why must Disney torture us .

That would be tough to just do one day too, but also true that it doesn't mess with your plans as much. Yes, I read that too about late April. Ugh, forever away still...

 

[Dugette]

Part One Plans

Okay, here’s a run-down of our “schedule” as of now.

Thursday, May 14th:

Flight leaves around 8am Central and arrives MCO around Noon. We’ll take the Magical Express to the Boardwalk and check in, then walk over to Epcot. Hoping to be munching on a late lunch from the Outdoor Kitchens by about 2pm. That’s the first couple hours of our park time – just wandering and enjoying and Izzy will probably nap in the stroller.

Our first Fast Pass+ is for Test Track from 3:30-4:30pm. We’ll get a Rider Swap on this and both take a turn. Can’t wait to finally ride this again (haven’t since Dec. 2013).

When Izzy wakes up, we have a FP+ for the Character Spot from 4:30-5:20pm (our times are 10 minutes off from each other, so that’s the overlap). After that, we’re hoping to get in the Disney Visa meet too. Why not go character crazy right away?

Our next FP+ is for Spaceship Earth from 5:50-6:25pm (again, overlapping times).

After that, we head into The Land for a good chunk of our night. First up is our final FP+, which is for Soarin’ from 6:25-7:25pm. Again, we just have one and will utilize Rider Swap. While Dug is riding, I think Izzy and I will have to obtain one of those amazing-looking Warm Peanut Butter Brownies that I saw on the Disney Food Blog. When I ride Soarin’, we’re hoping Dug and Izzy can do Living With the Land. We don’t have a FP+, as it’s a Tier 1 (crazy), but with any luck they can catch it with a short line. Technically, there’s a chance of getting a 4th FP+ for it after using ours OR using Izzy’s band to get it when we enter Epcot, so we have options.

You may remember that I had a Garden Grill reservation that we felt was too early. We wouldn’t be hungry yet, after our late lunch. Thankfully, I was able to grab a later one at some point. We now have a 7:50pm ADR, which I think will work pretty well. I’d like to show up a few minutes early, though, just to give us time to get out before 9pm so we can catch Illuminations while strolling back towards the Boardwalk for the night.

Oh, and once Izzy goes to bed, I want to run over to the Screen Door General Store to pick up some food items in order to make in-room breakfasts. And milk, etc.

Friday, May 15th

This will probably be an early morning, if there are any Star Wars celebrities that Dug wants autographs for (have to line up early). And, even if not, it will still be a rope-drop morning so we can meet Chewie. We’ll have an in-room breakfast. I’m planning to bring our little egg sandwich microwave thing, as that worked well for some breakfasts at Aulani.

DHS opens at 8am, so we want to get in right away and head for Chewie, as that is one of the character meets that gets very long lines. And I think Izzy would enjoy this one. And Dug will too, obviously.

After the meet, we have a FP+ for Star Tours (which I think is near the meet?) from 8:25-9:25am. Again, just one and we’ll get a Rider Swap.

Then we move on to Tower of Terror from 8:45-9:45am. Another Rider Swap. Followed by Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster from 9:50-10:50pm. And a Rider Swap.

Depending on time, maybe just I will ride and Dug will save the Rider Swaps for later in the day. Not sure.

The Star Wars parade will probably be at 11:30am, so we’ll want to find a decent spot before that. I also remembered that we ate a sandwich from Starring Roles while we waited for this parade back in 2010, so I thought that would be a good plan for this lunch. And, you know, maybe a cupcake?

After the parade, we’ll head to the Frozen Sing-Along, where we have FP+ for the 12:35pm show (12:10-12:25pm window).

After that, at least Izzy and I plan to head over to Epcot. For Dug, his plans will depend on the Star Wars shows and celebrities. We currently have a second Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster FP+ as a placeholder for the Stars of the Saga show with James Arnold Taylor, probably starting with a 3:15pm pre-show. The FP+ reservations for the shows can’t be made yet. Predictions are that they will open 30 days before SWW starts. As long as Dug still wants to see the show, we’ll switch out his RnRC FP+ for a show FP+.

Lauren and Aria should be in Epcot this afternoon too, so we are planning to meet up and enjoy World Showcase together. Dug plans to come over to Epcot after his show and maybe meet Lauren and Aria, if they are still around.

Our dinner plans are to enjoy the Outdoor Kitchens some more.

This night is Extra Magic Hours at Epcot from 9-11pm. Dug will take this shift and I will head back to put Izzy to bed.

Saturday, May 16th

Another breakfast in the room. Same drill as the previous day, as far as autographs for SWW. We have the first park hour open, so we can do whatever we want to with that. Our first FP+ is for Toy Story Mania from 9:05-10:05am. This is one of the two days that we could schedule a TSM FP+ because the SWW shows are also Tier 1 and we have one planned most days (potentially, at least).

After that, we have some free time to maybe meet some characters or something. Our next FP+ is for Voyage of the Little Mermaid, 10:30-10:45am window. Probably don’t need the FP+, but there are not that many Tier 2 choices. And Izzy will probably enjoy it, as she’s a big Ariel fan.

Our last FP+ is from 11:35am-12:35pm for Star Tours. We both have one, but could also collect the Rider Swaps from each. Last summer, we noticed that the Rider Swaps were good for the rest of the month. I’m not sure if that’s still the case? If so, we can hang onto them until another day.

Then we head back over to Epcot for a roaming lunch from the Outdoor Kitchens. Hoping Izzy will stroller nap during this time (after eating). Once we are done there, we’ll need to get over to Downtown Disney, hopefully mid-afternoon.

We’d like to have some time to just check things out. Dug has some people he knows in the area that he may try to meet up with. Then we have a dinner ADR for 5pm at T-Rex with Lauren and Aria and their friend Lynda and her boyfriend Aron. Very excited to see them and try a new restaurant. Dug and Izzy are both big fans of dinosaurs.

After our Downtown Disney time, Izzy and I will head back to the resort for the night. Dug will take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours (Midnight to 2am) at the Magic Kingdom and catch the MSEP and Wishes. Don’t worry, I get my late EMH during our after-cruise portion of the trip.

Sunday, May 17th

This is the morning we have our Galactic Breakfast at the Sci Fi. Should be neat to have such a unique experience there with Vader and all.

After breakfast, we have a Star Tours FP+ from 8:45-9:45am. Just one and Rider Swap again. Clearly, Dug wants to get in a lot of rides on Star Tours during SWW.

Up next, we have Toy Story Mania from 10-11am. There is a chance that Dug may need to change his to the Behind the Force show once we know more details. I’ll keep mine and go on TSM with Izzy, though.

We have an 11am-Noon FP+ window for the Muppets. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this. Not sure what Izzy will think, but I guess we’ll see.

After that, we have an ADR at 12:05pm at 50’s Prime Time. Izzy and I went there in August with Lauren and Aria and enjoyed it, but Dug has never been there. And I still need to try the Pot Roast and a PB&J shake.

Dug might be going to the Behind the Force show at 1:45pm. Izzy and I have a FP+ for the Disney Junior show, arrival window from 1:10-1:25pm. I think she’ll get a kick out of this. I really wish there was a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse play structure in one of the parks, though.

Depending on SWW guests, there may be a 5pm show featuring one of them. There may also be a show around 7 or so that Dug wants to see.

This is the night that we want to make sure to watch the Star Wars fireworks at 9:45pm, so we’ll find a spot to enjoy that before heading back to the Boardwalk.

Monday, May 18th

Cruise time! Breakfast in the room, getting our rental car, stopping at the grocery and/or wine store, and getting to the Port. Yay! But that’s a whole separate post.

For now, that’s what I’ve got! Will try to post our tentative Part Three plans later this week, before we make our other FP+ reservations.

Side story: we ate at Noodles tonight and the lady across from us saw Izzy’s Mickey and Minnie shirt and struck up a conversation. She and her daughter had just come back from WDW last week. They had a great time and were big fans. They were so jealous of all the trips we’ve done and the upcoming cruise. It was really fun to talk to them – nice to have IRL people around who don’t think we’re crazy for going to Disney so often. It was pretty cool!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Glad you mentioned that you will have your solo time post-cruise as I was thinking you did a pretty terrible job with all the planning as only Dug seems to get solo time

Seems like you worked out a goos system by utilizing the rider swap and then using the other FP+ as kind of a place holder for when the SWW events come out

Think it is good that you are getting so many character meets in right at the beginning - especially since not much MK time this first weekend (totally understand why b/w SWW and the Flower and Garden event)

Glad you got the later Garden Grill ADR - definitely support you trying to stop by early as I have seen cases where they get a bit backed up. At least when we were there the characters came around fairly fast (we saw 1 or 2 twice) so even if you have to make it a little bit of a fast dinner you should see all the characters