10 Nights, 9 Days, 2 Birthdays and 1 Magical May 2014 Vacation! **Complete 6-10**

[anniebabymu]

And no... I'm not talking about Vanellope here!

There has been talk on one of my May Facebook groups about a potential glitch allowing some to book FP+ for only their Epcot day. And it's not all days, just a few here and there. I tried when I first saw it and it didn't work for any of our days. Well, I stumbled upon it again last night and IT WORKED!!!

I was able to make our FP+ for our arrival day because it still didn't work for any of our other days... but I'll take it! I made them for the 3 of us and I'm working on getting my MIL to send me her confirmation # so I can set her up on my MDE and get them added. So... here are our FP+ for our arrival day!

Spaceship Earth 3:00-4:00
Soarin 4:00-5:00
Mission Space 8:00-9:00

I will be changing mine, Addie's and my MIL's Mission Space to something else because the adults think we may hurl since we're both prone to motion sickness and Addie just really isn't interested. Just gotta figure out what else though!

Now, if we are successful with the Rider Swap at Soarin we will be changing out 2 people's FP+ to Test Track instead of Soarin. I'm thinking we can have my DH and FIL try to ride Soarin and then my MIL, myself and Addie with the Rider Swap... then we can maybe head over to Test Track and grab the Rider Swap while the boys are at Mission Space. One of us can then stay with Harper and one ride with Addie. And then when the boys meet us over there, Addie and the boys can ride with the Rider Swap and the one that stuck around with Harper can go up the Fast Pass line too and scan their band to ride with them.

Who knows... we'll be playing that by ear and won't know for sure how it will work until the day of! Guess you'll just have to stick around for the TR to find out! Ha ha!

Continued in Next Post​

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Looks like we were both on and posting at the same time last night!

The toy story movie night looked like fun! I am glad everyone stayed awake this time!

I've heard about that glitch. It's great you got to take advantage of it! I also heard one night there was glitch where you didn't have to use the tiering system!

 

[blueangel2]

I'm staying at AoA and I've been following the reviews on Trip Advisor. Recently within the last couple of days a person with a 3 year old and 1 year old wrote this:

"Got to use the magic bands, which were really cool, and much better than the old card system. Never had any problems and you could load up your 3 fast passes each, plus make changes on the go if you have the disney app. Don't forget to take advantage of the parent swap...you can get a few more fast pass rides in if you plan ahead, and our 3 year old got to go on a lot of rides twice in a row!"

I really hope this will work out for us!!

 

[anniebabymu]

Looks like we were both on and posting at the same time last night!

The toy story movie night looked like fun! I am glad everyone stayed awake this time!

I've heard about that glitch. It's great you got to take advantage of it! I also heard one night there was glitch where you didn't have to use the tiering system!

Ha ha! Looks like it! Gotta love insomnia!

I had heard of that too! Too bad they fixed it!!

 

[anniebabymu]

I really hope this will work out for us!!

Me too!! Fingers crossed for us!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

Yay movie nights!! I love seeing what all everybody does even though I'm not organized enough to plan one! too bad everyone fell asleep for Snow White, but there's nothing wrong with having a quiet night for mom!

We love all the toy story movies too! The third one still makes me tear up at the end--at the garbage dump and at Bonnie's. and after our Jesse meet last trip, I love Jesse even more!

How exciting you got your Epcot FPs done! I can't wait to see how it goes with the rider swap! I'm anxious to make our reservations and I haven't even booked our trip yet!

We were so excited to meet you and Harper too! We are SO doing that again! Did Addison ever get sick after her school adventure? I hope she's doing ok!

 

[anniebabymu]

How exciting you got your Epcot FPs done! I can't wait to see how it goes with the rider swap! I'm anxious to make our reservations and I haven't even booked our trip yet!

We were so excited to meet you and Harper too! We are SO doing that again! Did Addison ever get sick after her school adventure? I hope she's doing ok!

*Knock on wood* She never did get sick!! Thank Goodness!! Praying it stays that way! Ha ha!

I can't wait to hear about your ADR's! When is the magic day you get to make them?!?

 

[STLMickeyMom]

*Knock on wood* She never did get sick!! Thank Goodness!! Praying it stays that way! Ha ha!

I can't wait to hear about your ADR's! When is the magic day you get to make them?!?

Whew! I'm glad she's doing good so far!

Just because you asked I had to look up when our 180 day mark was--I couldn't believe I hadn't done that yet! We can make our ADRs on march 29. Is that the day you get to make FP reservations too or is it still 60 days for that?

 

[anniebabymu]

Whew! I'm glad she's doing good so far!

Just because you asked I had to look up when our 180 day mark was--I couldn't believe I hadn't done that yet! We can make our ADRs on march 29. Is that the day you get to make FP reservations too or is it still 60 days for that?

It's close! Our 60 day mark is March 23rd!! 26 more days until FP+! And we're down to 86 days until arrival day!! Woohoo!!!

March 29th will be here before you know it!!

 

[anniebabymu]

Okay... so I feel like this could potentially be a no brainer and of course I can't make any real decisions until I talk with the rest of my travel party, but I'd LOVE any input from you guys out there in Disboard land!

I'm contemplating switching up an ADR. Why? Anna and Elsa of course. Ughhh!

So right now here is what we have...

Arrival Day:
Lunch: QS after arriving at Pop
Dinner: Akershus

and

Sunday 5-25:
Breakfast: In room
Lunch: QS
Dinner: The Garden Grill

Now that Anna and Elsa are meeting at 9am, it got me thinking. Should we book a pre-park opening Akershus for breakfast instead? I know the family would probably prefer the breakfast cuisine vs. dinner and it would put us back in Norway and could give us a head start on the R.D. crowd.

So how does this sound instead...

Arrival Day:
Lunch: QS or snacks
Dinner: QS at most likely Sunshine Seasons (since we have FP's booked over in the Land)

Pros: This would allow us to eat an earlier dinner and spend the rest of the evening leisurely wandering the World and we'd have plenty of time for Pick a Pearl and what-not. This would also allow us to get back to the resort a little earlier after our busy day.

Cons: My FIL won't get to eat with the princesses on his birthday! And this would mean we may have to pay for a QS meal out of pocket... but it is just a QS meal, so it's really not that big of a deal!

Sunday 5-25:
Breakfast: 8am Akershus (and yes, it's still available for a party of 6 at 8am)
Lunch: QS
Dinner: The Garden Grill

Pros: The obvious... we're back in Norway when they start meeting! And hopefully we wouldn't be waiting too terribly long that we could still get back to the front of the park before Test Track lines get too awfully long! And I think everyone will enjoy breakfast food there more than dinner food... especially the little ones!

Cons: Ughhh... waking up for a crack of dawn ADR after a late night at Magic Kingdom the night before! And it's a lot more food for the day than we're used to!

So, like I said... gotta run this by my DH, MIL and FIL to see what they think. But what do you guys think?? What would you do?

Which brings me to another question! How early will buses start running from Pop to Epcot?? Will we be able to make it back to Norway for an 8am ADR with no problem??

Continued in Next Post​

 

[STLMickeyMom]

Ok--here's my two cents...

I would switch to the breakfast ADR. Here's why...first off, we'd really want to see Anna and Elsa (in fact, I've been thinking of switching our days to do a breakfast ADR in Epcot but I'm afraid of Epcot on a Saturday during food and wine. And we will have been at MNSSHP the night before). Also, we are breakfast food people and our kids would eat breakfast there better then lunch. And--I like your arrival day plan now with lots of time to do whatever.

And, if I remember correctly, buses start running about 6:30 so you would have plenty of time to get to the park.

Some extra info--I just read something online last night about how to get in to see Anna and Elsa without an hourS long wait. They said to get the 8 am breakfast reservation. As soon as you sit down, ask to pay the bill (since its buffet, they can do that right away and you don't have to wait at the end for your bill). When you're done eating and you've seen the princesses (or while you're seeing princesses) send someone to get in line at the meet and greet and join them when you are done eating. Seems crazy to see characters (and hopefully they'll have a couple m&g's soon!) but if you really want to see them, that sounds like the easiest way to do it.

 

[anniebabymu]

Some extra info--I just read something online last night about how to get in to see Anna and Elsa without an hourS long wait. They said to get the 8 am breakfast reservation. As soon as you sit down, ask to pay the bill (since its buffet, they can do that right away and you don't have to wait at the end for your bill). When you're done eating and you've seen the princesses (or while you're seeing princesses) send someone to get in line at the meet and greet and join them when you are done eating. Seems crazy to see characters (and hopefully they'll have a couple m&g's soon!) but if you really want to see them, that sounds like the easiest way to do it.

What a fabulous idea!!! I would have never thought of paying the bill first! I REALLY like this idea because now someone won't have to take hours out of their park day to wait in line! I'm sure everyone else will agree... and yes, I do love that we've got all this time that's not rushed and there really is nothing we HAVE to do. I was worried we wouldn't have enough time to cram in Pick a Pearl before our ADR.

The only thing that worries me is having to wake up so early after the late MK day... but there is nothing that we really have to stay late for. If we wanted to leave after Wishes instead of powering through until closing time, we could get another hour + of sleep. And if the kids are getting crazy, we could just miss out on Wishes since we'll be doing it later in the week anyways! Our friends would just have to watch it without us. I'm sure it would all work out!

 

[anniebabymu]

AHHHHHH!!!! So March 4th my sister and I will be registering for the Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon!! I can't even believe we're going to do this!

The most I've ran is a 5k, but I felt like I needed a great long term goal to keep me motivated and she's super motivated to lose the baby weight, so we decided that this would be a great thing to do! And we both decided that we aren't going all that way just for a 5k! Go big or go home!

My sister really hasn't been to Disney (she may have gone for like a day when she was in youth group in high school), so I'm excited to spend a couple days in the park before the race. And, of course, now all these ideas are swirling around in my head!

I'm just glad I have 8 months to train because it might just kill me!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

I think your new plan looks good! Like STLMickeyMom, I read the same article which explained the best way to avoid long lines for Anna and Elsa was to have a breakfast ADR in Norway. So I think that is a great idea!

Yay for the 1/2 marathon Running a marathon in Disney is pretty much the only way you would ever get me to run in a marathon. They look like tons of fun though! And of course you have to spend a little time enjoying the parks after. You do have to go a long way to get there, it would be silly to miss out on the fun!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

AHHHHHH!!!! So March 4th my sister and I will be registering for the Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon!! I can't even believe we're going to do this!

The most I've ran is a 5k, but I felt like I needed a great long term goal to keep me motivated and she's super motivated to lose the baby weight, so we decided that this would be a great thing to do! And we both decided that we aren't going all that way just for a 5k! Go big or go home!

My sister really hasn't been to Disney (she may have gone for like a day when she was in youth group in high school), so I'm excited to spend a couple days in the park before the race. And, of course, now all these ideas are swirling around in my head!

I'm just glad I have 8 months to train because it might just kill me!

woohoo on your run!! I WALKED a half marathon in Hawaii about 14 years ago (man, i'm old!). I can't wait to hear all about your training! I did the color run (walk for me) last September and have decided to do 40 5k's in my 40s, but I don't know that i'd ever do another half marathon. it was hard, but a total rush when it was over. and like I said, I doubt I could run one. walking was bad enough! my friend and I had planned on running a mile, walking a mile. we were training one day and in the middle of a run, we looked at each other and both were like "running is dumb!" and decided to just walk. we did get pretty quick walking though--I think we were at a 14/15 minute mile. I gotta get back to it and get some 5k's in this year! anyway, i'm excited to hear all about it! i'd love to do a Disney 5k sometime!

 

[anniebabymu]

I think your new plan looks good! Like STLMickeyMom, I read the same article which explained the best way to avoid long lines for Anna and Elsa was to have a breakfast ADR in Norway. So I think that is a great idea!

Yay for the 1/2 marathon Running a marathon in Disney is pretty much the only way you would ever get me to run in a marathon. They look like tons of fun though! And of course you have to spend a little time enjoying the parks after. You do have to go a long way to get there, it would be silly to miss out on the fun!

I'm thinking breakfast is definitely the way to go! Especially now that the 24 hour event at MK was announced! No ADR arrival day would mean we can call it an early early night on our travel day so we can be up and at MK at 6am! Ha ha!

And of course I would have to get some park time in!! Here's what I'm thinking... fly down Wednesday evening, do Epcot for Food and Wine on Thursday, then MK on Friday and stick around for the Christmas Party that night ( last year there was a MVMCP that night so hopefully there is again!) then Saturday is race day! It's a 10pm race, so I thought we'd do no park and be able to go to the Expo to grab our packets and chill pre-race! Then Sunday will be sleeping and flying home! Hoping my sister agrees to my plan! If she doesn't, my SIL has decided to run with us too and I KNOW she's up for it! She's been dying to go back since our very first trip in October 2012!

 

[anniebabymu]

woohoo on your run!! I WALKED a half marathon in Hawaii about 14 years ago (man, i'm old!). I can't wait to hear all about your training! I did the color run (walk for me) last September and have decided to do 40 5k's in my 40s, but I don't know that i'd ever do another half marathon. it was hard, but a total rush when it was over. and like I said, I doubt I could run one. walking was bad enough! my friend and I had planned on running a mile, walking a mile. we were training one day and in the middle of a run, we looked at each other and both were like "running is dumb!" and decided to just walk. we did get pretty quick walking though--I think we were at a 14/15 minute mile. I gotta get back to it and get some 5k's in this year! anyway, i'm excited to hear all about it! i'd love to do a Disney 5k sometime!

How fun!! A 1/2 in Hawaii! I'm sure it was beautiful scenery! I'm just hoping that the thought of seeing characters popping up along the course keeps me motivated through the miles! At the Disney races you have to keep a 16 minute mike pace, so I'm hoping after training I'll shave down my time to allow for a quick pit stop for a character meet! I just fear getting swept up by the balloon girls and not being allowed to finish! I'm sure that's just an irrational fear and it will all be fine!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

How fun!! A 1/2 in Hawaii! I'm sure it was beautiful scenery! I'm just hoping that the thought of seeing characters popping up along the course keeps me motivated through the miles! At the Disney races you have to keep a 16 minute mike pace, so I'm hoping after training I'll shave down my time to allow for a quick pit stop for a character meet! I just fear getting swept up by the balloon girls and not being allowed to finish! I'm sure that's just an irrational fear and it will all be fine!

it was VERY pretty in Hawaii--we even saw some dolphins jumping around right off the beach--awesome! the end was awful though and I thought that last mile would never end--mostly because I got dehydrated and just wanted to be done. thank goodness my friend was with me--she was awesome motivation. I think it's so much better to do it with someone, so i'm sure you'll do great!

have you read any of tinker326's TR "Mickey MMMouse, McDonald Duck& Memo: 12 Days & 13.1 Miles. Nov 2013 TR"? she did the wine and dine (?) half last November. her story was AWESOME and I seriously got all teary when I read about her run.

 

[kansasdisneygal]

Another vote for switching to Breakfast at Akershus! Sounds like a fabulous plan to me!

How exciting about the 1/2 Marathon! You Go Girl!! You will do awesome, having long term goals are the best motivators!!

 

[anniebabymu]

it was VERY pretty in Hawaii--we even saw some dolphins jumping around right off the beach--awesome! the end was awful though and I thought that last mile would never end--mostly because I got dehydrated and just wanted to be done. thank goodness my friend was with me--she was awesome motivation. I think it's so much better to do it with someone, so i'm sure you'll do great!

have you read any of tinker326's TR "Mickey MMMouse, McDonald Duck& Memo: 12 Days & 13.1 Miles. Nov 2013 TR"? she did the wine and dine (?) half last November. her story was AWESOME and I seriously got all teary when I read about her run.

I have not!! I must go find that tomorrow! Thanks!