***1st Week of December Thread ADR Plans, Park Hours, and dealing with Pop Warner***

[LBlovesM&WDW]

I'm so jealous of everybody's flight plans. I got online yesterday just to see how flights were looking, and it is just so much cheaper for us to drive. Roomie has an extremely efficient vehicle, so we can round trip from northeast Mississippi and back for like $100 in gas. Makes me sad though, because I love to fly! And the 10 hour drive is BORING!

But I keep trying to look at the bright sides:
1) Saving the moolah!
2) Can take as many snacks and drinks with us as we want!
3) Can bring home as many souvenirs as we want!
4) Won't have to worry about getting to Universal without a vehicle. (I have only had literally one taxi experience in my life. I feel like an old geezer, but I feel like, "I don't trust it.")

I'm not jealous--we enjoy the drive and make it part of our trip! We stop where we want for real meals, shopping, whatever and usually stop in St. Augustine (can't wait to see the Nights of Lights--looks gorgeous). It's also nice to not have to limit what I can buy

 

[JamieOak]

this is so amazing what a way to live!! so much work, I am sure, but I am so jealous!

Wow!!! This is great! Must be hard work but a lot of fun!!! (and I refuse for DH to get a dog because of all the hard work it would entail... you just blew that out of the water!)

Lol...wow, yes, a well-earned/deserved belated honeymoon I'd say!! I respect the hard work involved most definitely, but man does that sound fabulous!! So glad you shared that--thanks!!

Thanks yall! It is a lot of work, but very rewarding work. I was just thinking about it today as I was eating part of my lunch...pickled eggs that came from my chickens/ducks and I pickled with beets from my garden. Saving money on the groceries to help pay for the trip haha.

Anytime my DH complains about the cost of this trip, I just say we are probably still spending less overall than if we actually took 1 vacation every year for the last 4 years.

 

[rasadkowski]

That actually makes sense too! It would be nice to have a rest day and go to AK in the afternoon. I think two half days are fine as long as you have a plan on how to go about it and a sense of what can be accomplished in that amount of time. Which resort are you staying in again?

The poly..and I'm not sure, but I think it's a bit a ways to AK? So no going back for rest. So with the one day I thought it may be too long in a park that requires a lot of walking @JamieOak made a good point that with the shows, there are some nice breaks... If I had been here before this wouldn't be such an issue but I think the things the girls would like to see really are all over the park. ...hmm.. Oh well, still time to think
Thanks so much for your help

 

[BDFmom]

Yay for booked flights! We got ours booked but I keep checking SW for the price to drop on a later return flight.

Boooo to anxiety!

@JamieOak your farm sounds amazing!!

 

[SilSprBea]

Is everyone settled on flights now? We have ours booked but I keep checking the flight down on SW to see if there's any chance I can move us to a morning one so we aren't getting to Disney SOOOO late. At this point though, I think we're probably stuck with what we have. Thanksgiving weekend is not a great time to fly, huh? lol

We actually opted to drive not so much because of the money but because it was easier with our stuff and double stroller. We're driving from Maryland one way and then putting the car and ourselves on the auto train home. On the way down we're sleeping on the road one night to break up the 14 hour trip. I have our tickets booked on the train for our return. Can't wait for the whole trip.

 

[Talby]

hey all!
I finally got a chance to sit down and check out the AK map. I know you have all shared your thoughts and opinions about this park a lot, and I know a lot of you have some favorites there! And after looking at the map, I can see how the place is REALLY big and spread out. I didn't know you had to take a train to Rafiki's planet watch and petting zoo ! So my plan (thanks to several of you great disers was to actually tackle this park on two 1/2 days. One PM day and one AM day. But, I was recently thinking that I should try to just do the park in one day, just for logistical reasons of our trip.

My kids LOVE animals and zoos. from reading the descriptions on the maps, they make it sound like the animal trails are so amazing. Are they really? Do they really have a lot of cool animals? I know this is probably a really stupid question. I just think maybe it would be ideal to do the park in two days like I planned...Africa and then Asia/dino if these trails are really full of nice animals to look at. It's hard to tell! I feel like my girls could be the type to spend an hour at the boneyard. I want to be able to let them! Then again, we may be done with the whole place in 5 hours !!

not sure what's a better plan...one full day or two 1/2. I also figured for 1 full day we can't really go back to the poly to rest in the middle of the day because i think it's kinda far out?

I'm probably overthinking this? someone want to keep my crazy in check here?

We are animal lovers in our household. My daughter in particular has such an affinity for them and her career will center around animals in some way. So, we're going to shoot for 1.5 days. But I want to share a little story.

On our last trip, we went really hard at touring for the first couple days. Total newbie mistake, but we were bursting with excitement, running on adrenaline, and having the time of our lives. Third day, we were toast and it was our planned Epcot day. We spent a couple of hours in Future World. It was so hot. We were melting physically and mentally. We had such great things left on our itinerary...Garden Grill, Soarin', Coral Reef, IllumiNations, and I can't remember what else specifically. Great stuff though!! In spite of that, we decided to go back to the resort, get our suits on and play/relax at the pool. We MISSED so many WONDERFUL things that were PLANNED at Epcot. But what we gained was equally as wonderful. I still remember things that happened on that day at the pool (me going down the slide with my kids at the POR pool for one! haha) and really great conversations. Lots of "little things". It was such a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. So while it would have been nice to complete all the items on our itinerary, I don't feel like I missed out. At all. And there was still magic.

You can do with that what you will....even ignore it if you'd like!! lol

 

[rasadkowski]

We are animal lovers in our household. My daughter in particular has such an affinity for them and her career will center around animals in some way. So, we're going to shoot for 1.5 days. But I want to share a little story.

On our last trip, we went really hard at touring for the first couple days. Total newbie mistake, but we were bursting with excitement, running on adrenaline, and having the time of our lives. Third day, we were toast and it was our planned Epcot day. We spent a couple of hours in Future World. It was so hot. We were melting physically and mentally. We had such great things left on our itinerary...Garden Grill, Soarin', Coral Reef, IllumiNations, and I can't remember what else specifically. Great stuff though!! In spite of that, we decided to go back to the resort, get our suits on and play/relax at the pool. We MISSED so many WONDERFUL things that were PLANNED at Epcot. But what we gained was equally as wonderful. I still remember things that happened on that day at the pool (me going down the slide with my kids at the POR pool for one! haha) and really great conversations. Lots of "little things". It was such a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. So while it would have been nice to complete all the items on our itinerary, I don't feel like I missed out. At all. And there was still magic.

You can do with that what you will....even ignore it if you'd like!! lol

Thank you @Talby this was such a perfect post to read before I call it a night. I'm thinking I'll go with the split day. This will give us a morning poly rest on our third day (4th if you count arrival) so I think you've convinced me Ducking out early tonight !!! Is this guy sleeping? You are all so incredibly helpful and nice. Thanks everyone!!

 

[Candycane83]

The poly..and I'm not sure, but I think it's a bit a ways to AK? So no going back for rest. So with the one day I thought it may be too long in a park that requires a lot of walking @JamieOak made a good point that with the shows, there are some nice breaks... If I had been here before this wouldn't be such an issue but I think the things the girls would like to see really are all over the park. ...hmm.. Oh well, still time to think
Thanks so much for your help

I think you can still think about it since we have a bit of time to go anyway whichever way you lean, I think you will have fun and it will be magical like @Talby says! two half days or one whole day, you would still get your pool time one morning it's just either Party day or it will be on your AK half day

 

[rasadkowski]

I think you can still think about it since we have a bit of time to go anyway whichever way you lean, I think you will have fun and it will be magical like @Talby says! two half days or one whole day, you would still get your pool time one morning it's just either Party day or it will be on your AK half day

Thank you @Candycane83 You are so right!!!

 

[Meeko5]

just my personal opinion but I enjoy some aspects of the "zoo" aspect of AK more than others. Like I'm not sure I'd want to take the time to find every little animal exhibit but I will tell you what I do really enjoy:

Maharajah Jungle Trek: I love cats so the tigers are awesome to me. I have planned some time to walk it a bit in a half hour of downtime before my Y&Y ADR. Also the Malayan Flying Fox, which are just big bats are AMAZING to me. I don't know why. I am not a fan of bats and would shriek like a catholic schoolgirl if one came near me but these creatures are just awesome. Not sure why lol. The whole thing is nicely themed with lots of "returning to the jungle" architectural ruins etc. I really enjoy that one.

The animals around the discovery island trails never really interest me that much. I'm not sure why. short attention span maybe.

the other big thing I enjoy directly related to animals is the bird show. but I've said that like 80 times.

I haven't been in years (because honestly I'm not much of a zoo person so one trail of animals and I am done) but I remember the gorilla trail being quite nice too. they are majestic creatures. There is nowhere a child can get in

I think those are the 3 main areas with animal viewing besides the safari. It's just mostly the hottest park (hopefully not an issue in december) and the most walking so it is EXHAUSTING to spend an entire day there. that is part of the reason I consider it a half day park. If I wanted to make it a full day I think I could. I would SDFP the safari again in the afternoon. I'd see the nemo show. I'd take my time on stuff I skip. It just is not my favorite. so we're doing a combo of rides/attractions, shows and just wandering and seeing the animals with two meals in the park.

We saw them doing surgery on one of those flying foxes and that thing was massive!!! It was crazy to see up close and with the vets nearby.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

With all this AK talk I can't help being fixated on ROL. I've been reading various posts over the past week or two on other threads/sites that some are expecting tomorrow (Sept.15th) to be of significance (totally unconfirmed and at this point and I swear people are just throwing darts at the calendar while blindfolded!). Has anyone else heard anything about Sept 15th?

 

[Talby]

Thank you @Talby this was such a perfect post to read before I call it a night. I'm thinking I'll go with the split day. This will give us a morning poly rest on our third day (4th if you count arrival) so I think you've convinced me Ducking out early tonight !!! Is this guy sleeping? You are all so incredibly helpful and nice. Thanks everyone!!

CHAPTER 2: The Takeaway (lol!) Retrospect is a great thing, and what I learned about our "crashing" at Epcot....We had a great-looking itinerary and it turns out we didn't follow it. In spite of that, we didn't feel like we missed out (though it is very true it sure would have been nice to see those things on our list!). We still had fun and magic happened even though that ideal list wasn't followed according to plan. Magic can pop up even when not planned and on the daily agenda, and great memories will be made no matter how you end up spending your time. The End. (and sweet dreams!!! )

 

[Talby]

With all this AK talk I can't help being fixated on ROL. I've been reading various posts over the past week or two on other threads/sites that some are expecting tomorrow (Sept.15th) to be of significance (totally unconfirmed and at this point and I swear people are just throwing darts at the calendar while blindfolded!). Has anyone else heard anything about Sept 15th?

Wouldn't it be so great if this turned out to be true?!?! Maybe this is partly why RoL has been dubbed Rumors of Light? haha I did read somewhere (wish I could give credit--sorry, don't remember) that people were reporting ROL was appearing as an option for FP but without the ability to actually book yet. Which apparently translates into being bookable soon (ugh--what is "soon" anyway?). I have not heard anything specific to Sept 15th though. I'm adding stalking ROL to my morning routine tomorrow just in case!

 

[SilSprBea]

Wouldn't it be so great if this turned out to be true?!?! Maybe this is partly why RoL has been dubbed Rumors of Light? haha I did read somewhere (wish I could give credit--sorry, don't remember) that people were reporting ROL was appearing as an option for FP but without the ability to actually book yet. Which apparently translates into being bookable soon (ugh--what is "soon" anyway?). I have not heard anything specific to Sept 15th though. I'm adding stalking ROL to my morning routine tomorrow just in case!

I sure hope it's true and they sort it out soon. I'd love for this to be available as a FP when we are able to book FP! That way it would be all settled and we wouldn't need re-shuffling later. Fingers and toes crossed!!!!

 

[areno79]

Actually I've never been on a real road trip before. Definitely should try it... when DS2 is much older. The most I have been on a car trip or bus is for 6 hours but I've flown many times for 20 hours or so. DS2's first trip was when he was 9 months and we flew non stop from Toronto to Hong Kong for 17 hours! That was fun...

Wow, that's quite a flight!! We love the experience of road trips. Being able to stop and explore new places is fun! For example, in August we drove out to Ohio to visit my BIL and his family, and then DH fulfilled his lifelong dream and we drove up to Niagara Falls and stayed for a few days. What was cool was that we spontaneously decided on the trip from Dayton to Niagara to stop in Cleveland to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We would never choose to go to Cleveland as a destination, so it was neat to be able to stop and see something we wouldn't normally see, especially if we were flying. Plus, the trip forced us to talk to each other

I'm going to echo your sentiment on this post and just say.............WORD!!! Such a love/hate relationship I have with flying. I mostly love it, except for that pesky anxiety part!!

@Mal6586 I have a whole childhood full of every summer road trips all over the country. I could tell stories for days (I'll spare you! lol) about those awesome memories. Love a great road trip!!

I actually get random flying anxiety; mostly on longer flights, but sometimes I start to feel claustrophobic. It doesn't happen every time, but I like knowing I have something if my anxiety gets too much to handle.

 

[Iowamomof4]

My anxiety about flying is all about the airport security. I don't know if I can handle them putting their hands on me. I just don't know if I can do it.

 

[Lisa F]

No, you're right! I'm not park hopping. But, my plan is to relax at the pool one morning (our only official rest time) and go to AK in the pm. (REALLY hoping for rol) and then the next AM AK day is the morning of MVMCP.
but yes, I'm debating back and forth about 1 full day

not sure if i mentioned it or not but i did that in 2014 with my MNSSHP. I didn't want to do a full day at AK but I didn't want to waste the rest of the day and I did NOT have parkhoppers so I did it on MNSSHP. it was early on, our first full day (traveled on saturday and went on Sunday) so we had the energy lol. it worked out well and allowed me to "hop" the one time I really wanted to.

 

[SilSprBea]

Because I can't just be done with my planning, have any of you ever eaten breakfast at garden grill? Thinking of trying to add a PPO breakfast there (if I can find one!) for our Epcot day. We're doing dinner at Akershus for my DD bday but thought it might be fun to start the day with a character breakfast as well, and get a head start to soarin since we will FP FEA. We're planning on spending our morning in future world. Just curious on your experiences. Thanks!

 

[Iowamomof4]

Because I can't just be done with my planning, have any of you ever eaten breakfast at garden grill? Thinking of trying to add a PPO breakfast there (if I can find one!) for our Epcot day. We're doing dinner at Akershus for my DD bday but thought it might be fun to start the day with a character breakfast as well, and get a head start to soarin since we will FP FEA. We're planning on spending our morning in future world. Just curious on your experiences. Thanks!

I haven't eaten there yet, but we plan to! I think it sounds like good food, great character interaction, and a relatively calm atmosphere. Not sure I could ask for more than that!

 

[pigletgirl]

My anxiety about flying is all about the airport security. I don't know if I can handle them putting their hands on me. I just don't know if I can do it.

I've been patted down the last 3 times we flew. There doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason why they do it, but all I know is that its gets super frustrating when they choose YOU, the one with an infant and preschooler and all of their stuff! It's hard! This was at our airport. I think the TSA in Orlando is just used to families hauling massive amounts of junk through the airport!

You can do this!