1 Obsessive Planner 13 Snow days & a 6 year olds surprise Spring Break (update: 3/20)

[PapaGoofy]

This trip report will center around my families Spring Break trip to WDW, starting on March 22nd, 2014! This report will focus on young children (DD6 and DS1.5), lots of ADR’s, a busy time of the year, Disney Vacation Club Rental, mid-day breaks, our experience with FP+, and lots of food! There won’t be a lot of pictures initially, but more will show up once we get into the trip!

You should know that I am an obsessive planner and like to have everything overly thought out in advance. I won’t micromanage a day once we arrive, but we will have a strong idea of what our goals are! Commando touring and younglings don’t mix but a solid plan for touring with younglings makes everyone’s trip a happier experience.

My lovely wife claims Disney World is her “heaven on earth” and we have a desire to bring our kids back at least every three years. This will make her fourth trip to Disney World, including the trip on our honeymoon which shall not be spoken of (She spent the entire trip sick with the flu).

My DD is in kindergarten and this will make her 3rd trip in 6 years. For the first of those trips we stayed off resort which we learned was not for us. It just wasn’t efficient at all with the rental car/travel shuffle and did not mesh with the idea of traveling with a young child. Perhaps with older kids and staying in park all day that strategy would have worked out.

For our last trip with DD, The Wilderness lodge was great, and suited our needs perfectly. It was close to the parks and made life very easy. The décor was awesome and ability to jump on a ferry to get to the MK was awesome!

But this trip we wanted to stay even closer! With DS, and this being his first trip, we knew the afternoon break/nap was going to be critical - so something on the Monorail loop was what we wanted. Ideally we were after the Contemporary since this is within walking distance of MK. While not my favorite resort for theming, it obviously can’t be beat for convenience. So this represented our plan in booking.

DS will absolutely need a naptime each day for a few hours. He is also still in diapers. These are challenges, but DS knows who Mickey Mouse is and one of his favorite things to do is to dance to the ‘Hot Dog’ on Mickey Mouse Club House. While being small will present a few challenges, we’ve toured with small kiddos before and we think he’s ready! Hopefully we are too!



Our view is that our kids are only young once, and we want this to be a memory that they hold onto for a lifetime - even if it is only through pictures for DS!

 

[PapaGoofy]

Table of Contents:

Obsessive Planning!

1. Introductions!

2. Where to Stay!

3. ADR's

4. Odd and End Purchases

5. Fast Pass Selection

6. Magic Bands, Opinions, and more

Let the Trip Begin!

 

[PapaGoofy]

The options for the trip were heavily influenced by DW’s and my own jobs within a public school system. That meant we had to work around school schedule.

I also felt like Spring break might be the safer option, since sometimes snow days can push our schedule out in the summer with makeup days. (Yes, that is ominous foreshadowing).

Ultimately our options were either Spring Break this year, Summer this year, or Thanksgiving! After looking at prices I was less than pleased with the Deluxe options at any of those time periods! The contemporary was coming back for 8 days at over $4200!

Luckily, after doing some research here on the DIS, I learned about Disney Vacation Club Rentals. Same length of stay during Spring break in the Bay Lake Tower for $2200. How is that even comparable?

I booked immediately! The customer service I received therein was wonderful and everything was set up without any stress at all. It didn’t offer the pay as you go, you might expect from booking straight through Disney, but it did allow us to pay half up front and then half again about 60 days out.

The next step was to find airfare down to Orlando. Being from NW Arkansas, I looked at tickets out of Tulsa, Little Rock, Bentonville and Kansas City. All were pretty expensive and were looking to be around $2000 for four seats.

With DS, we wanted to have a seat to allow him to travel in his car seat. Not only is it so much safer for turbulence, we knew from experience that little ones typically sleep better in their own seats. After some deeper searching, I found out that Southwest flew out of Branson. I waited until Southwest released tickets for the season and was able to get four seats, round trip for under $900. And it was a direct flight into MCO. Score!

Finally, I booked our Magical Express to make this super easy on ourselves. Part of the reason we love Disney is that we don’t have to drive or rent a car!

 

[PapaGoofy]

The ADR’s and the plan of attack

Now that we had things booked, my wife and I had a decision to make! How were we going to tell DD? Should we tell her now, or should we wait? Should we make a count-down chain, or should we minimize what would likely be a daily “is it time to go, yet”?

Ultimately, we decided that we wanted to surprise her for this trip – it just seemed like it would be the most fun. DD has been aching to go back to Disney and we kept telling her it wouldn’t be until she was at least 8 that we could go back. We were over 210 days out, but we both promised to keep it a secret from her and her brother until the day before we left.

Would one of us fold? Would an unwitting friend or family member spoil the surprise?! More Ominous Foreshadowing?!

We had to do some ground work with family pretty quickly to make sure everyone knew not to say anything! Social media and excited parents do not lend themselves to a secret being kept from children!

For now, the plan is to book a hotel in Branson the night before we leave, and to spring it on DD and DS then at the hotel. DD thinks we are going to Silver Dollar City for Spring Break. We have season passes there, so anytime she asks what we are going to do, I just tell her “we will probably ride some rides on Spring Break and go to Branson”. Nothing but the truth, folks …..

Once we had that worked out, I started looking at Crowd Calendars on the net to plan out which parks we would attend. The only thing they really seem to agree on is that Spring Break will be crowded. We don’t opt for the extra expense of Park Hopper, so we just try to make the most efficient days as possible. We start a park, take a mid-day break, and then head back to the same park to finish up. With little ones, the evening Extra Magic hours aren’t valuable to us – so we stay away from those.

Once I had my plan set up, the 180 day mark rolled around and I got up bright and early, at 5:00 AM to make the reservations! I did most of these online and then called to make a couple for the special activities.

About an hour later and here is what the plan looked like!

3/22 Arrival – MK – no ADR

3/23 – Hollywood Studios – 50’s Prime Time Café @ 6 PM

3/24 – Epcot – Corral Reef @ 5:45 PM

3/25 – MK - Pirate Makeover @ 9:00 AM, Ohana @ 7:00 PM

3/26 – MK - Bippity Boppity Boutique @ 8 AM, Be our Guest @ 5:45 PM

3/27 – AK –Tusker House @ 8:00 AM

3/28 – MK- Cinderellas Royal Table @ 6:00 PM

3/29 – MK – Crystal Palace @ 8:20 AM, Magical Express Pickup @ 11:00 AM

That’s a lot of ADRs! But I also knew it was better to over plan these out! If we are tired on any given day, then I will cancel something to give us some time. The 25th, is only a possibility. If we are worn out from the first few days, we will just call that a resort day and hang around or go to DTD. We will play it by ear!

You will also notice that I have 4 meals/activities to get us in the parks before they open. The plan is to use these to our advantage to get into rides quicker and easier in the mornings. DS is very much a morning person and likes to get up with the sun. Banking on this continuing, we are hoping to make use of rope drop and then to use the fast passes mostly in the afternoon! We are calling the 25th and the AK day only half days as well to give us pool and rest time.

 

[llouque]

This sounds a lot like our upcoming trip (and previous two) with DD4 (almost 5). Look forward to hearing how it all works out, especially FP+!

 

[BellaSoleil]

I'm in! We've got little ones, too.

 

[JayhawkFans]

I'm definitely in. Can't wait to hear more about your trip as it unfolds.

 

[LLM]

I'm following along! We are going in August and keeping the surprise from our five year old until the day of (at least that is the plan now). Have fun on your upcoming trip!

 

[PapaGoofy]

This sounds a lot like our upcoming trip (and previous two) with DD4 (almost 5). Look forward to hearing how it all works out, especially FP+!

When is your trip planned? Glad to share news and etc. regarding the FP and other changes at the parks!

 

[PapaGoofy]

I'm following along! We are going in August and keeping the surprise from our five year old until the day of (at least that is the plan now). Have fun on your upcoming trip!

Awesome! Have you all thought yet about how to tell your 5 YO? We are still going back and forth on how exactly to pop the news!

 

[LLM]

Awesome! Have you all thought yet about how to tell your 5 YO? We are still going back and forth on how exactly to pop the news!

I have been searching online for different ideas. It seems like a lot of people either do a scavenger hunt or the reveal in a large box with balloons floating out once the box is opened. I really wanted to do something original though so I still don't know how we should do it. I wish I were more creative! We also have twins, however they will only be 15 months old at date of travel so they really won't be excited about the surprise! I'm open for ideas!

 

[maggiemoos]

Hi! I'm also a teacher from the NW Arkansas area and will be making my Spring Break trip to Disney at the same time and we have a Crystal Palace reservation the same day but 10 minutes later then you! Lucky about those snow days huh? Hope your family has a great vacation and hoping for no more snow days too.

 

[llouque]

When is your trip planned? Glad to share news and etc. regarding the FP and other changes at the parks!

We are headed to the Contemporary Resort May 11th-May 16th. It will be myself, DH and DD.

 

[KelleyK75]

Following along. We are going the same week and plan on MK and AK the same days as you.

 

[PapaGoofy]

Odd and End purchases…

Pin trading was something we played with a bit the last time we visited Disney. DD was only 4 at the time, and it was something we learned about in the park. She was entertained, but not completely into it. This time, I expect that to change. Something about her personality tells me she is going to be enthralled with the Pin trading experience. It will also give her something to do if DS needs a quick change or break from touring.

To make this even more fun for her, I ordered pins from Ebay. They are so much cheaper on this way, but I was careful to get the ones with the rubber Disney back, and to make sure each was marked with Disney on the back. We also ordered about 30 of the locking backs since we clearly remembered losing a few the last time we were there, and I also finished this out by ordering DW, DD, and myself new lanyards. Okay – I will admit I am pretty excited about pin trading too. I really want one of the Spectromagic pins with the pieces of the floats and costumes set in the pin.

Then I went ahead and placed an order for groceries to be delivered to the BLT for us on arrival day. My kids drink milk at a rate that would alarm and frighten any cow, so that is what the order mostly consisted off. We also ordered wipes and diapers so we didn’t have to haul them down, Soda, and breakfast items. We wanted to be able to eat a quick breakfast in the room or as we transitioned to the parks. It saves money on the budget, but also is a chance to get food in the kids before they are distracted by all that Disney World has to offer.

I also made a few random travel purchases. First up was ordering the Frozen Diamond edition. That would arrive just before we headed out on this trip, and would serve to keep DD quite busy for the trip down, allowing us to focus a little more on the little man in the airplane. I bought him a Mr. Potato head for the flight down, along with a few Cars toys to play with, a squishy ball and a small toy spiderman. We will plan on stopping in the airport to pick up some snacks and suckers. Hopefully those things, along with an ipad loaded with preschool games and a nap will keep him occupied for the couple of hours we will be in the air. I’m always worried about a little one on an airplane, and really hope that his ears don’t bug him during the flights.

The last random purchase was that I sprung for Memory Maker Plus. With all of our ADRs, the BBB, and the time we would spend meeting with characters on this trip, I felt like it was a pretty good value. I have a DSLR camera that I will be taking, but knowing that I can participate in the family shots seemed like a better way of going. This gives me the option to only take my camera in on a few days – which I liked.

As an aside, for anyone thinking about purchasing the Memory Maker, when you order this online you are given the option for shipping. I was alarmed to see that I needed to pay $15.00 to have this shipped in time for our trip via fedex. I went ahead and did it, but I had no idea what was actually being shipped. When I checked out online it gave me a code and I was able to use this to link it directly to my Magic Bands with no problems. The Fedex package arrived yesterday, and it only included a ticket style card… with a code to be used to link to your bands. I feel a little slighted by the lack of explanation, but oh well! Live and Learn!

 

[PapaGoofy]

Hi! I'm also a teacher from the NW Arkansas area and will be making my Spring Break trip to Disney at the same time and we have a Crystal Palace reservation the same day but 10 minutes later then you! Lucky about those snow days huh? Hope your family has a great vacation and hoping for no more snow days too.

Awesome! I hope you guys have a great trip! They were nice for planning, but After all these snow days we are anxious to be somewhere warm and sunny!

 

[addictedtothemouse]

I'm thinking of flying down in October with my 2 yo granddaughter. Ahh tips would be great.
I love flying southwest, I really like the fact that I don't have top pay for luggage and most of the time their tickets are cheaper too.

 

[KelleyK75]

Odd and End purchases…

Pin trading was something we played with a bit the last time we visited Disney. DD was only 4 at the time, and it was something we learned about in the park. She was entertained, but not completely into it. This time, I expect that to change. Something about her personality tells me she is going to be enthralled with the Pin trading experience. It will also give her something to do if DS needs a quick change or break from touring.

To make this even more fun for her, I ordered pins from Ebay. They are so much cheaper on this way, but I was careful to get the ones with the rubber Disney back, and to make sure each was marked with Disney on the back. We also ordered about 30 of the locking backs since we clearly remembered losing a few the last time we were there, and I also finished this out by ordering DW, DD, and myself new lanyards. Okay – I will admit I am pretty excited about pin trading too. I really want one of the Spectromagic pins with the pieces of the floats and costumes set in the pin.

Then I went ahead and placed an order for groceries to be delivered to the BLT for us on arrival day. My kids drink milk at a rate that would alarm and frighten any cow, so that is what the order mostly consisted off. We also ordered wipes and diapers so we didn’t have to haul them down, Soda, and breakfast items. We wanted to be able to eat a quick breakfast in the room or as we transitioned to the parks. It saves money on the budget, but also is a chance to get food in the kids before they are distracted by all that Disney World has to offer.

I also made a few random travel purchases. First up was ordering the Frozen Diamond edition. That would arrive just before we headed out on this trip, and would serve to keep DD quite busy for the trip down, allowing us to focus a little more on the little man in the airplane. I bought him a Mr. Potato head for the flight down, along with a few Cars toys to play with, a squishy ball and a small toy spiderman. We will plan on stopping in the airport to pick up some snacks and suckers. Hopefully those things, along with an ipad loaded with preschool games and a nap will keep him occupied for the couple of hours we will be in the air. I’m always worried about a little one on an airplane, and really hope that his ears don’t bug him during the flights.

The last random purchase was that I sprung for Memory Maker Plus. With all of our ADRs, the BBB, and the time we would spend meeting with characters on this trip, I felt like it was a pretty good value. I have a DSLR camera that I will be taking, but knowing that I can participate in the family shots seemed like a better way of going. This gives me the option to only take my camera in on a few days – which I liked.

As an aside, for anyone thinking about purchasing the Memory Maker, when you order this online you are given the option for shipping. I was alarmed to see that I needed to pay $15.00 to have this shipped in time for our trip via fedex. I went ahead and did it, but I had no idea what was actually being shipped. When I checked out online it gave me a code and I was able to use this to link it directly to my Magic Bands with no problems. The Fedex package arrived yesterday, and it only included a ticket style card… with a code to be used to link to your bands. I feel a little slighted by the lack of explanation, but oh well! Live and Learn!

It sounds like you are all ready to go. I did the same thing with the Memory Maker, but didn't choose FedEx. I wish I would have now. I am worried about getting it set up for the first day in the parks where we have a 8:10 Akershus ADR. Someone said to call and ask them to link it, so I am going to see if that works.

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

joining! As a fellow avid-planner I can identify. Actually your statement of "I won’t micromanage a day once we arrive, but we will have a strong idea of what our goals are!" covers me pretty well .... I have all my spreadsheets and do a ton of research but mostly to get what park to visit what day and then line up the ADRs appropriately and ensure we know what attractions we most want to do - beyond that the actual days we see how things go

My DD is about a year behind yours and last trip was the first time we did the autograph book. Next trip I am contemplating Pin Trading but on the fence a bit so looking forward to seeing how that goes for you