September Trip - So Excited!!! Tips wanted!

[Grace W]

So super excited to be writing about this.
We have a 10 day trip coming up in September. We will be celebrating our daughter, Lillian's, upcoming 2nd birthday and Tim, daddy/boyfriend, 22nd birthday!

Grandma Kris, DVC Member, booked our reservations at Animal Kingdom - Kidani, Contemporary, and Art of Animation. We will be there Saturday - Sunday, leaving on a Monday.


EXCITEMENT CANNOT BE CONTAINED - The packing preparation beings! !
Below is our trip plans. I would appreciate any advice or experiences given!
​

Saturday: Day 1- Arrival and Details, details, details
Arrive at WDW by 11am (plane gets in at 9am)
Hang out at resort or Downtown Disney
Eat dinner at Sanaa at 5:00
EARLY TO BED AFTERWARDS

Sunday: Day 2- Magic Kingdom, here we come!
Early morning at MK - want to see rope drop!
Lunch at BOG at 1:15pm

FAST PASS +
Meet Mickey
Peter Pan
Meet Ariel
Planning to watch MK Fireworks at the top of world lounge.

Monday
Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios Day!
Breakfast at Chef Mickey's 7:10am

FAST PASS +
Safari Ride
Meet and Greet with Characters
Lion King Show

Dinner for momma and daddy at California Grill 9:15 so we can watch the Magic Kingdom Fireworks

Tuesday
Epot

FAST PASS +
Meet and Greet
Soarin
Turtle Talk

MNSSHP at Magic Kingdom!

Wednesday
Breakfast at Kona Cafe
No Park Day
Downtown Disney

Thursday
Magic Kingdom EMH

FAST PASS +
7 Dwarfs Mine Train
Haunted Mansion
Festival of Fantasy Parade

Fantasmic at night!

Friday

FAST PASS +
Test Track
Spaceship Earth
The Seas

Epcot - Food and Wine!

Saturday
Hollywood and Vine 9:15

FAST PASS +
Toy Story
Start Tours
Frozen

Park Hopping Day

Sunday:
Epcot Food and Wine!

FAST PASS +
Meet Belle
Meet Cinderella
Meet Anna and Elsa

Lunch at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall 2:45pm
Magic Kingdom!

Monday - BACK TO STL

Any recommendations on being with a 2 year old on this trip.. Fast passes, reservations, etc. Please let me know! Super Excited!!!

 

[Grace W]

Day 1 - Details, Details, Details

So our plane departs STL at 5am and we should arrive in Orlando by 9am. WOOHOOO. We are traveling with our soon-to-be two year old, so it should be interesting. I decided to hold off on Potty training her till after the trip, that way things run a little smoother..
Once we get to the airport we will be taking the Magical Express from airport to Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kidani Village. We then plan on just hanging out around the resort since we only bought 7 day park tickets for our 10 day trip. We have reservations at Sanaa at 5:00. I am sure by this time we will be ready to pass out and cranky from being on the plane so long. Hopefully Lilly cooperates and will want to take a nap with mom and dad at some point.

Not too much going on this day, but still can't wait. I heard Sanaa is very very good

 

[Gma2lillybean]

Sanaa IS very, very good . Am really looking forward to playing at the pool and exploring our resort

 

[ThemeQueen]

Not sure if you are into wine, but Juko does wine tastings on Wednesday afternoons!

Re: your FP+.. I have heard using one for Mickey in Town Hall isn't necessary, the queue is cute, it's air conditioned and moves pretty quick. For your daughters age, I would use it for Peter Pan (this ride has the longest wait time of any ride in disney), Winnie the Pooh or Aladdin.

 

[Grace W]

Not sure if you are into wine, but Juko does wine tastings on Wednesday afternoons!

Re: your FP+.. I have heard using one for Mickey in Town Hall isn't necessary, the queue is cute, it's air conditioned and moves pretty quick. For your daughters age, I would use it for Peter Pan (this ride has the longest wait time of any ride in disney), Winnie the Pooh or Aladdin.

Are you talking about the que to get into with talking mickey? That is what we have the fast pass for.. Im surprised if there isn't a long wait for that!

 

[ThemeQueen]

Are you talking about the que to get into with talking mickey? That is what we have the fast pass for.. Im surprised if there isn't a long wait for that!

Yes! I have heard the wait isn't that bad! The best times to go are first thing in the morning, during one of the parades and during the "slow time" like after lunch, before dinner.

 

[Grace W]

Yes! I have heard the wait isn't that bad! The best times to go are first thing in the morning, during one of the parades and during the "slow time" like after lunch, before dinner.

That's great to know! Thank you for the information!

 

[ThemeQueen]

Do you know about the 4th FP+ trick too? Once you use all 3, you can add one more? So maybe switch it to a ride for now, and if the wait time is too long for Mickey (by checking the app on your phone) you can add it later? I would definitely try to use the FP+ for one of the kiddie rides your daughter would love instead.

 

[Grace W]

Yes I do know about it! I also heard about a trick if you get a magic band for your little one, like my two year old, she can also get fast passes separate.. Not sure if that is true but I read something about it.

 

[ThemeQueen]

Yes I do know about it! I also heard about a trick if you get a magic band for your little one, like my two year old, she can also get fast passes separate.. Not sure if that is true but I read something about it.

Huh, interesting. My daughter will be 17 months when we go, and while she is signed up for a MAgicBand (we are staying on Property), I was not able to make FP+ for her. I wonder if this is just for the kiosks?

 

[Grace W]

I think it is. If I find out more information I will surely post about it!

 

[Gma2lillybean]

Hi there! I'm Grandma Kris (aka "Mamu") mentioned in Grace's OP, and I am so blessed to be able to share my favorite place with my favorite people! If Grace doesn't mind, I may pop in to this pre-trip report with some information, updates, comments, etc....

 

[Grace W]

Day 2- Magic Kingdom, here we come!

Since non- of us have seen the Rope Drop, or me in particularly. We then plan to hang around Magic Kingdom, hopefully Miss Lilly will be in a good mood and will want to meet Mickey first thing. We have lunch scheduled at BOG at 1:15. I plan on getting the croquet Monsieur, if haven’t tried it. Try it on your next trip, because it is delicious! After a full day at Disney we will then head back to the hotel and watch the Fireworks from the top of the world lounge. I should also mention the first day we were staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge and for the next few days we will be at the Contemporary.

 

[Grace W]

So the preparation to pack has begun...


Lilly tends to be a little spoiled when mommy and grandma start to get excited about the trip and we can't pass up the deals they have on her clothes! I will say this was ALL clearance! Yay for deals! I swear this happens every year. We already are talking about how we will have to change her multiple times in order to fit in every outfit during the trip. Like I said though, the clearance racks were fabulous this year! Especially the Disney Outlet by us, we just couldn't pass it up. Plus, in shopping early, we hope to save some money being that we won't have to buy clothes there for her.
We do, however, plan on buying her a Cinderella costume while we are there. We have already purchased Belle, Ariel, Anna, Jasmine, and of course Minnie Mouse. All being on Clearance at JCPennys.


plus, the Disney store doesn't carry size 2 in stores, therefore JCPenny's was our only option, besides ordering online. We also couldn't resist, being that she looks so cute in it all.
Here she is modeling Ariel and Belle for us


Anywho, as you can see we are getting very excited!

 

[ThemeQueen]

Great haul!! I am going to the Disney Store outlet tomorrow to finish building our wardrobes, but it looks very similar! lol

 

[Grace W]

Great haul!! I am going to the Disney Store outlet tomorrow to finish building our wardrobes, but it looks very similar! lol

Yes so many clearance deals! JCPenny's Disney Section too has a lot as well!

 

[Gma2lillybean]

Kohl's also had some awesome deals! We got the Anna dress for $2.80 at Kohl's!!

 

[Gma2lillybean]

Grace, I'm starting to think Lilly will need more luggage than you and I will

 

[Grace W]

Grace, I'm starting to think Lilly will need more luggage than you and I will

haha. I am sure she will take up space in all our suitcases as well. hahaha

 

[misscmac]

Following along; your daughter is so cute! You found some great deals - I'm going to have to check JCP and Kohl's more frequently! I think you are smart to schedule a non-park day! We didn't do that, but it ended up sort of working out that way on our trip and it was a much needed break!