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

[BDFmom]

Yes! I m searching for that one. But someone I swear posted for 12/7 a few days ago. I'll have to go back through the threads. I think the person said they were looking for sometime before 2? I thought maybe @BDFmom too. Hmmm

Thank you for thinking of me... I'll be home on 12/7.
But I would much rather be at CP with Pooh!

 

[rasadkowski]

Thank you for thinking of me... I'll be home on 12/7.
But I would much rather be at CP with Pooh!

Oh darn! Sorry to rub it in!! I had thought your plans were all set and awesome!...Hmm..I'm on this case...

 

[rasadkowski]

Oh poop!! I am so dumb!! @BDFmom i meant 12/6. I have one for 12/6. I went back and found "the person" and it was you but for 12/6. I have an 11:40 if that works for you..I knew I had something that would Hopefully help someone out somewhere! It's totally fine if you don't need this one either

 

[Candycane83]

Can I ask a completely random non Disney related question? I thought some of you on here could suggest something. We have a birthday party for a 7 year old boy tomorrow. Any ideas what is popular with that group now? I asked his mom and she said he'd like anything we pick out... Sheesh. I was thinking Legos? What is the newest set in their brand? Anyone know? Any book books? He told my daughter he'd like a book. He's a really sweet boy, and is really like to get him something nice . Thanks and sorry if this crossed the "too random and off topic" line!!

I unfortunately cannot help much but maybe your daughter can ask him what type of book or ask her what types of toys he likes to play with? and just wanted to say it's not too off topic, it's still about kids

 

[rasadkowski]

I unfortunately cannot help much but maybe your daughter can ask him what type of book or ask her what types of toys he likes to play with? and just wanted to say it's not too off topic, it's still about kids

Thanks @Candycane83 I've been on her with this we're getting one word responses here, haha right now I have that he plays with Legos, wants a book, and he likes to read " any kind"

 

[Tattylou]

Can I ask a completely random non Disney related question? I thought some of you on here could suggest something. We have a birthday party for a 7 year old boy tomorrow. Any ideas what is popular with that group now? I asked his mom and she said he'd like anything we pick out... Sheesh. I was thinking Legos? What is the newest set in their brand? Anyone know? Any good books? He told my daughter he'd like a book. He's a really sweet boy, and i'd really like to get him something nice . Thanks and sorry if this crossed the "too random and off topic" line!!

My boys are 6 and 8. They love Star Wars...anything star wars would be a hit with them. Legos is a good option too. Star wars Legos even better. They also like Ninjango Lego sets.

 

[Lisa F]

there are tons of adults who enjoy disney but who don't want to have kids. I always wanted kids but never had a super strong drive... when lots of my friends had fertility issues and I worried I might too, I always felt I would just adopt rather than go through invasive fertility treatments (there are some more basic things they can do I would have tried) and I never felt a huge drive to reproduce my own genes or anything. I love my child but he is an only child and our life is generally quiet, when I am with the BF and his two, the noise and chaos can be too much for me (maybe kiddo too!)

But even before kiddo I really enjoyed Disney. We also really enjoyed Disney history and went to museum exhibits about it, loved the "imagineering" aspect of the rides and were just in general Disney nerds. I think a lot of adults can identify with walt and what he tried to do and accomplish and maybe wish we had the means and creativity and staff to do what he did. It's a great place to vacation with lots of great restaurants and lots to do... when we went frequently we sometimes spent very little time on rides and that was ok (but that was back when you could have a premium AP for around $350, even with inflation it was much cheaper and if you went 3-4 times a year you didn't feel sorry about going into a park for dinner and that's it). It's basically nonstop pleasure, with great restaurants and something to see and do. I could mostly tune out OPK (other people's kids) because the whole place is so loud. Now that I have my own (with pretty much hidden special needs) I am a bit less judgy (inside) about how OPK act too and even parents who lose their crap once in a while.

The best thing IMO about going as adults is the ability to be flexible. this doesn't work with kids or disney newbies but being able to just do what you want when you want it is pretty freeing to me, lol. Also sleeping in, which I can't do with the kiddo, is nice (though we will when we shift our schedule and make the room dark). he is always up earlier than i am. I used to love to people watch too, just park for a good spot for a parade or nighttime event with a snack or a drink or both and enjoy the view. hard with kids, they get bored and want to be doing stuff. my adult only trips were always far more relaxing than it has been with kiddo but still a ton of fun with kiddo even more fun I think but less relaxing.

 

[Candycane83]

Thanks @Candycane83 I've been on her with this we're getting one word responses here, haha right now I have that he plays with Legos, wants a book, and he likes to read " any kind"

That's too cute! At least @Tattylou has give you great advice

 

[rasadkowski]

That's too cute! At least @Tattylou has give you great advice

Yes, thanks to both of you I'm thinking a star wars Lego set and a book he's adorable. He looks out for my daughter and chases the classmates away when they all try to "kiss" the girls. ( we always say " no boys!! " to the girls. I am dreading the teen years!!!!!

 

[JamieOak]

there are tons of adults who enjoy disney but who don't want to have kids. I always wanted kids but never had a super strong drive... when lots of my friends had fertility issues and I worried I might too, I always felt I would just adopt rather than go through invasive fertility treatments (there are some more basic things they can do I would have tried) and I never felt a huge drive to reproduce my own genes or anything. I love my child but he is an only child and our life is generally quiet, when I am with the BF and his two, the noise and chaos can be too much for me (maybe kiddo too!)

But even before kiddo I really enjoyed Disney. We also really enjoyed Disney history and went to museum exhibits about it, loved the "imagineering" aspect of the rides and were just in general Disney nerds. I think a lot of adults can identify with walt and what he tried to do and accomplish and maybe wish we had the means and creativity and staff to do what he did. It's a great place to vacation with lots of great restaurants and lots to do... when we went frequently we sometimes spent very little time on rides and that was ok (but that was back when you could have a premium AP for around $350, even with inflation it was much cheaper and if you went 3-4 times a year you didn't feel sorry about going into a park for dinner and that's it). It's basically nonstop pleasure, with great restaurants and something to see and do. I could mostly tune out OPK (other people's kids) because the whole place is so loud. Now that I have my own (with pretty much hidden special needs) I am a bit less judgy (inside) about how OPK act too and even parents who lose their crap once in a while.

The best thing IMO about going as adults is the ability to be flexible. this doesn't work with kids or disney newbies but being able to just do what you want when you want it is pretty freeing to me, lol. Also sleeping in, which I can't do with the kiddo, is nice (though we will when we shift our schedule and make the room dark). he is always up earlier than i am. I used to love to people watch too, just park for a good spot for a parade or nighttime event with a snack or a drink or both and enjoy the view. hard with kids, they get bored and want to be doing stuff. my adult only trips were always far more relaxing than it has been with kiddo but still a ton of fun with kiddo even more fun I think but less relaxing.

Since we are essentially newbies, it's going to be a balance of being flexible and scheduled. I'm making touring plans to get a feel for the times throughout the day to help me with FPs and ADRs. That's mainly because I have NO idea whatsoever how much time to allot for each ride or even each area in a park. So this helps give me a feel for that. I anticipate I'll look at them and try and use them the first couple days, but I really don't expect us to stick to them. But it feels good to me to have a plan laid out ahead of time, especially with showtimes. I think it would be stressful and likely unsuccessful to try to wing it on the day-of while trying to get to shows.

We want to have kids in the near future, so this may be one of our last trips together before that happens. I have 3 nieces (ages 8, 10, 11), and they sure can make a lot of noise when all 3 are together so I understand that. I think me and DH are at least a little practiced in the art of tuning out when needed. I actually would consider him to be "advanced" in that skill, because he sure can tune me out! We all lose our crap sometimes. And if there's a situation when OPKs are getting to us, WDW is pretty big so I'm sure we can find somewhere else to go!

I only have 1 true sleep-in day out of the whole 10 day trip. I asked DH about the most recent schedule and he said that to him 8am is sleeping in. He normally gets up at 4:30am for work and I get up around 5:45am. But I think the more important factor is how much sleep you can get, not just the time you wake up. And looking at it that way, I only have 2 nights that cut it close. I think one we will just push through or do an afternoon break to deal with, and the other I will schedule a later start the next day. It's the day after MVMCP night and I currently have a 9am start in EP or HS planned that day. I'll probably make sure FP times give us a good buffer in case we do want to sleep in longer. And no early morning ADRs for us right now. Breakfast will be in the resort room, even if just a small item to tide us over until a late breakfast/early lunch ADR.

 

[BDFmom]

Oh poop!! I am so dumb!! @BDFmom i meant 12/6. I have one for 12/6. I went back and found "the person" and it was you but for 12/6. I have an 11:40 if that works for you..I knew I had something that would Hopefully help someone out somewhere! It's totally fine if you don't need this one either

Thank you! Yes!!!! 12/6 would be fantastic!!!

 

[BDFmom]

I've come to the conclusion that as much as we obsess, plan and re-plan our trips things will change once we are there immersed in the magic . I'm taking a 'flexible' attitude. I used touring plans to come up with a basic plan to see the feasibility of our desires and to help with FP+ timing. I will leave all the TP plans at home and just go with my ADRs and FP+ and let each day unfold on the spot.

 

[Talby]

I've come to the conclusion that as much as we obsess, plan and re-plan our trips things will change once we are there immersed in the magic . I'm taking a 'flexible' attitude. I used touring plans to come up with a basic plan to see the feasibility of our desires and to help with FP+ timing. I will leave all the TP plans at home and just go with my ADRs and FP+ and let each day unfold on the spot.

Amen, Sister! lol Touring Plans gave me a good idea about times in between things and, as you said, feasibility. Definitely good information to have in a vague sense. But that magic really does seem to take over and no matter what you're doing, it's the very best thing ever right in that moment.

 

[Candycane83]

It's such a dreary day here in Toronto but you guys really make my day brighter! (And cheesier) lol! @JamieOak i feel the same way about the problem of not know how long each ride will take and how feasible my touring plans are. But I have a route which we can take and avoid zigzagging too much, we'll go that way and see wait times. Either way, flexibility is the key. I'm thinking of probably looking at my ADRs two nights before and seeing if I need to cancel anything.

 

[Talby]

@JamieOak I think a balance of flexible and scheduled is ideal! That pretty much sums up what will be our approach to touring. I did full-on 100% flexible last time and it was SO MUCH FUN but we didn't see/experience nearly as much as we will this time. Mostly that had to do with how uninformed I was for that trip though. I wasn't even aware of all we were missing! lol

 

[JamieOak]

It's such a dreary day here in Toronto but you guys really make my day brighter! (And cheesier) lol! @JamieOak i feel the same way about the problem of not know how long each ride will take and how feasible my touring plans are. But I have a route which we can take and avoid zigzagging too much, we'll go that way and see wait times. Either way, flexibility is the key. I'm thinking of probably looking at my ADRs two nights before and seeing if I need to cancel anything.

I agree completely! I at least need to have a route planned for our first day in each park (and MVMCP will need planning too). And then working out the timing in touring plans with FPs and ADRs is a big help. Our last couple days when we re-visit each park I probably won't have a route planned pre-trip and we'll just go by what we missed or what we want to do again.

Even though it may feel stressful now at times with all this pre-planning and waiting for dates/times to be announced, I just keep thinking of how less stressed I'm going to be when I'm actually there! I'm actually not feeling stressed with the Disney planning any more, even though FP day is in 5 days. I mostly enjoy it and it's a nice break from my other obligations sometimes. The only thing I can say it is interferring with is my exercising. I may need to start taking my laptop to the treadmill to Disney plan instead of sitting on the couch. I have a rather substantial weight loss goal for our trip and my recent surgery put a bump in the road there.

 

[JamieOak]

@JamieOak I think a balance of flexible and scheduled is ideal! That pretty much sums up what will be our approach to touring. I did full-on 100% flexible last time and it was SO MUCH FUN but we didn't see/experience nearly as much as we will this time. Mostly that had to do with how uninformed I was for that trip though. I wasn't even aware of all we were missing! lol

I remember just 5 months ago when I was blissfully unaware to what I was getting myself into! We only decided to take this trip last February and had no idea the timeline that was involved, so we were late to everything. But I finally feel "in the know" enough to calm down about it all.

I hope I get a chance to go back and do a more flexible trip in the future. I get another week of vacation next year, so I'll be up to 4 weeks vacation. I need to start taking more trips and not just taking vacation days to work on house projects.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Well, I've never actually DONE it, but I can't see why it wouldn't work. I mean, people travel together all the time but don't always stay glued at the hip. It's hard to imagine Disney would force an entire group to all choose the same park for each day.

Yes, I have actually booked different parks.

The family had 5 people with tickets. Three of them, Mom with two sons, went to Animal Kingdom. And Dad with their daughter went to Epcot. The mom and boys rode Safari, Lion King and the meet and greet at Outpost. The dad and daughter rode TT and um, I don't remember. It was before Frozen opened in Norway.

The rest of the trip they were at the same park, but rode different rides.

 

[Lisa F]

Since we are essentially newbies, it's going to be a balance of being flexible and scheduled. I'm making touring plans to get a feel for the times throughout the day to help me with FPs and ADRs. That's mainly because I have NO idea whatsoever how much time to allot for each ride or even each area in a park. So this helps give me a feel for that. I anticipate I'll look at them and try and use them the first couple days, but I really don't expect us to stick to them. But it feels good to me to have a plan laid out ahead of time, especially with showtimes. I think it would be stressful and likely unsuccessful to try to wing it on the day-of while trying to get to shows.

We want to have kids in the near future, so this may be one of our last trips together before that happens. I have 3 nieces (ages 8, 10, 11), and they sure can make a lot of noise when all 3 are together so I understand that. I think me and DH are at least a little practiced in the art of tuning out when needed. I actually would consider him to be "advanced" in that skill, because he sure can tune me out! We all lose our crap sometimes. And if there's a situation when OPKs are getting to us, WDW is pretty big so I'm sure we can find somewhere else to go!

I only have 1 true sleep-in day out of the whole 10 day trip. I asked DH about the most recent schedule and he said that to him 8am is sleeping in. He normally gets up at 4:30am for work and I get up around 5:45am. But I think the more important factor is how much sleep you can get, not just the time you wake up. And looking at it that way, I only have 2 nights that cut it close. I think one we will just push through or do an afternoon break to deal with, and the other I will schedule a later start the next day. It's the day after MVMCP night and I currently have a 9am start in EP or HS planned that day. I'll probably make sure FP times give us a good buffer in case we do want to sleep in longer. And no early morning ADRs for us right now. Breakfast will be in the resort room, even if just a small item to tide us over until a late breakfast/early lunch ADR.

well the best thing about not having kids is that it is a LOT easier to change gears if you want to. I always planned a LOT but then we'd change on a dime, cuz that's how I roll. But that is not how kiddo rolls lol. I can make changes but only to stuff he doesn't know about already.

honestly I am not in general bothered by what other people do unless it is somehow really infringing on my experience. So you want to wear park clothes to ca grill? What do I care? lol. screaming kids who are not semi-quickly removed are a pet peeve of mine... I don't blame you for not being able to prevent it (I wish I had that much control over my kid) but I do my best to not let my child ruin someone else's good time and if he is in a meltdown situation he's going outside where he can work through his emotions without ruining someone else's show/meal/experience. Sometimes you just need to deal... like on a plane. And I might complain to close friends but really not judging. Kids annoyingly enough have their own desires. So OPK doesn't bother me and neither do expressions of joy and wonder and delight even if loud. When you have your own kids you will probably see that for everything that is harder, it is that much better to experience things through them too again nothing against people who don't have kids or don't want them... I have tons of respect for people who can be true to themselves and not make a human being just to make other people happy and then have their heart not in it. It has been a rough road parenting my son and I can only imagine how much worse it would be if I didn't really love him and resented his presence in my life.

Anyway too heavy and philosophical lol. I am having a rough time at work so in a weird mood. Adult trips are great, you can really take time to savor the small things... just sitting and having a drink in epcot. Just do what feels right. Once you have kids you will be doing what you hope will feel right for them lol. Enjoy the ability to do what feels right to you now. I want to take an adult only trip at some point with a friend, it sounds like heaven sometimes!

 

[Talby]

I remember just 5 months ago when I was blissfully unaware to what I was getting myself into! We only decided to take this trip last February and had no idea the timeline that was involved, so we were late to everything. But I finally feel "in the know" enough to calm down about it all.

I hope I get a chance to go back and do a more flexible trip in the future. I get another week of vacation next year, so I'll be up to 4 weeks vacation. I need to start taking more trips and not just taking vacation days to work on house projects.

I think there is some truth to the saying that ignorance is bliss! Now that the veil has been lifted, there's no going back! lol There is definitely something calming about having knowledge. Something else that really helped me calm down with the touring plans was to create 2 different lists when it comes to attractions. We have our absolute-must do-and-will-genuinely-be-sad-if-we-don't-experience-it list. Then the oh-this-would-be-so-cool-but-it's-not-the-end-of-the-world-if-we-don't-experience it list. Sometimes those can get blurry, but having a good understanding of priorities has been really helpful. So the ADRs, FPs and MUST DOs are the scheduled part, and the flexibility part is the other stuff. All smothered in magic, of course.

YES...definitely DO use that vacation time to play!