3 Weeks Sept/Oct 2013 at POR, DDP, Tours & Disney!

[NicolaFred]

3 Weeks Sept/Oct 2013 at POR, DDP, Tours & Disney!

The Cast

Fred (26)
Loves the history and backstage magic of Disney, loves planning, loves shopping, good food and is a big kid at heart. Favourite ride: Pirates of the Caribbean. Superpower: Disney history and hidden details.

Nicola (29)
Loves to plan and not-so-secret spreadsheet builder, loves on site dining, hates shopping and loves the older nostalgic Disney rides. Favourite ride: Pirates of the Caribbean. Superpower: custom designed itinerary books.

Nicola & Fred
Hello, this is our 5th trip to Walt Disney World together and as we always like to be celebrating something, this time we are visiting for Nicola's 30th Birthday (which is at the end of November) and our 10th Anniversary, 5th Married which is in June 2014. We dont think we will be back to Florida while its just the two of us, so we want to make it extra special before having all together different trips with kiddies :spin:

Fred first visited Walt Disney World in 1997 with his family at the age of 10. Nicola first visited EuroDisney in 1994. Our first trip together in November 2007 was spent on International Drive and little planning, we missed so much that when we returned in June 2009 for our honeymoon we made sure that our plan was watertight, we had the most amazing holiday even though we probably did too much it was unforgettable. We then decided in sept/oct 2010 to sneak a trip in and only do Disney before a big trip in September 2011 with Nicola's parents and sister for her 18th birthday. This time, we are planning something big, and we hope you join us for the fun!

Index
Pre-Trip Report - LINK
Day 1 - Thurs 26th Sept 2013 - Travel Day, Arrive at Port Orleans Riverside
Day 2 - Fri 27th Sept 2013 - First day at MK, Breakfast at Crystal Palace & Dinner at T-Rex
Day 3 - Sat 28th Sept 2013 - Lunch with friends, Dinner at The Plaza and Wishes Dessert Party
Day 4 - Sun 29th Sept 2013 - Epcot, Dinner at Trails End
Day 5 - Mon 30th Sept 2013 - Undiscovered Futureworld Tour, Dinner at Tutto Italia
Day 6 - Tues 1st Oct 2013 - Animal Kingdom, Dinner at Hoop Dee Doo
Day 7 - Wed 2nd Oct 2013 - Day with Leanne & Matthew, Typhoon Lagoon, Downtown Disney and Magic Kingdom, Dinner at Be Our Guest
Day 8 - Thur 3rd Oct 2013 - Hollywood Studios, Dinner at Sci-Fi Dine In
Day 9 - Fri 4th Oct 2013 - Backstage Magic Tour
Day 10 - Sat 5th Oct 2013 - Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom, Dinner at Tonys Town Square
Day 11 - Sun 6th Oct 2013 - Epcot, Dinner at Coral Reef
Day 12 - Mon 7th Oct 2013 - Marceline to the Magic Kingdom Tour, Dinner at 'Ohana
Day 13 - Tue 8th Oct 2013 - Hollywood Studios, Dinner at Raglan Road
Day 14 - Wed 9th Oct 2013 - Epcot Food and Wine Festival with Leanne & Matthew, Dinner at Kouzzina
Day 15 - Thurs 10th Oct 2013 - Typhoon Lagoon, Shopping, Dinner at Chef Mickeys
Day 16 - Fri 11th Oct 2013 - Breakfast at 1900 park fare, Downtown Disney, MNSSHP
Day 17 - Sat 12th Oct 2013 - Animal Kingdom, Dinner at Sanaa
Day 18 - Sun 13th Oct 2013 - Magic Kingdom, Dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe
Day 19 - Mon 14th Oct 2013 - Hollywood Studios, Dinner at Boma
Day 20 - Tue 15th Oct 2013 - Epcot, Dinner at Via Napoli
Day 21 - Wed 16th Oct 2013 - Shopping, Dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse / California Grill
Day 22 - Thurs 17th Oct 2013 - Last Day at Magic Kingdom

 

[NicolaFred]

The Details
We are very lucky to be spending 3 weeks from 26th September at Port Orleans Riverside with Disney Dining Plan and 21 day ultimate Disney tickets until we sadly have to come home on 17th October 2013. We booked with Val Ramsey, Travel Counsellors who has helped us no end.

We have done all types of Florida holidays, on international drive without a car (never again thank you lol) offsite in a private villa with a car (a bit scary just the two of us - better for families). Onsite in a value resort (yay), onsite in a deluxe resort (double yay) and now, onsite in a moderate resort (triple yay), with a car... Of course. We love the freedom a car gives us, and we love driving out there, so a personal choice, we still have a car when we stay onsite.

In 2010 we stayed at Pop Century and didn't do DDP. We paid for all our food and spent a fortune. It was a nice lesson to learn so when we were exploring options for our trip in 2011 we decided to go for DDP and it was the best decision we made. We love eating in Disney restaurants so it meant we could eat at the more expensive restaurants (that we probably would not be able to afford paying out of pocket) and really enjoy some amazing meals. Nicola's parents and sister really enjoyed it too, and so they have booked to go back in early September 2013 but are trying the quick service plan.

We decided to upgrade from quick service purely because we are there for 3 weeks and we think we would appreciate DDP more, however we have no problems with trying QSDDP if we were visiting for 2 weeks as we love counter services too!

We decided on Port Orleans Riverside as we really love the backstory and history of the resort, it's very fascinating and can be read full at http://www.portorleans.org/history.php

It's a beautiful resort on the sassagoula river, which we really loved at Old Key West, which is where we stayed in 2011 in a beautiful 2 bed villa overlooking the river (block 46) and so we will probably visit Downtown Disney on the friendship boats a few times

Here are some photos from http://www.portorleans.org

Offsite vs Onsite
We really love staying onsite. REALLY love it. The bubble, the magic, the hospitality. It doesn't compare to staying offsite, and never will for us. We save up to have magical holidays and part of that comes with staying onsite. I think until we had stayed onsite we viewed a hotel as a bed, somewhere to sleep and store our things, staying onsite completely changed that mindset. We can hire a boat, a bike, go fishing, watch a movie on a big screen, visit the campfire and have smores and take advantage of extra magic hours and being able to send our purchases back to our resort without even thinking about it. Yes, most of the things i mentioned you can do while stay offsite, but I like the idea of doing those things, then strolling back to your room. It appeals to us, but we appreciate onsite isn't for everyone.

Flight Details
We are flying from Manchester Airport (just 15 minutes from where we live) and are flying with Virgin Atlantic on the 11am flight VS075 into Orlando International Airport where we will be picking up our hire car from Dollar. On the way home we fly from Orlando on the VS076 flight back to Manchester.

We are just doing Disney parks this time, mainly because we have not been impressed by the state of disrepair in the universal parks in recent visits. We were not impressed by WWOHP and we are not big ride fans and prefer the history and nostalgia side of things so we decided not to buy universal tickets. We still may take the plunge and visit Discovery Cove which means we will have access to Seaworld, but at the moment it isn't in the current plan.

That being said, we have good memories in the universal parks and it was the first place we visited in 2007 so they will always hold a soft spot, maybe in a few trips time we would visit again, when things have been improved.

So, three weeks. Nothing but Disney and the odd shopping day, we are gonna be soooo bored you might shout... Nope, we STILL haven't done everything in Disney. We still have lots of things in Animal kingdom to do like the animal trials and some rides. We have a few things in Hollywood Studios and some World Showcase pavilions that we would love to explore more at Epcot and we have the whole of New Fantasyland to discover too.

Tours
Since we will be spending a lot of time in the Disney parks, we also have booked 4 tours. We have previously done the Keys to the Kingdom tour at the Magic Kingdom and really enjoyed it. We didn't really have time on our last adventure being with family, so this time we are fully taking advantage of the time and doing the following tours...

Backstage Magic Tour
From: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/tours-and-experiences/backstage-magic

Discover some of the secrets behind the magic of Walt Disney World Resort! Get an in-depth look at the creative and technical operations used behind the scenes to bring innovative special effects, world-class entertainment and elaborate attractions to life.

At Epcot, we'll reveal some of the exquisite details that make The American Adventure one of our most popular attractions. You'll see Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom theme park in a whole new light after your guide leads you through a hidden world—the legendary underground "Utilidor" tunnel system.

From artistic accents to eye-catching designs, nearly everything that surrounds you at Walt Disney World Resort is created and maintained by the artisans of Central Shops whose masterpieces transport you to Fantasyland and beyond. Take a break with a family-style lunch at the Whispering Canyon Café inside Disney's Wilderness Lodge. Then, see how horticulture and landscape design play a starring role in creating an endless variety of uniquely themed environments at the Walt Disney World Nursery & Tree Farm.

Head to Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park and see how Walt Disney Imagineers combined cutting-edge design with breakthrough technology to create the thrilling Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Here, as in every corner of Walt Disney World Resort, wardrobe is an integral part of the magic, so you'll learn how the Creative Costuming team outfits the performers in Disney parades and shows. Finally, wrap up a most wonderful day at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park with an up-close look at Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade.

Walt Disney: Marceline to Magic Kingdom Tour
From: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/tours-and-experiences/marceline-to-magic-kingdom

Fond memories of friendly Marceline, Missouri inspired Walt Disney to create Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom Park. Throughout the Park, his fascinating life story continues to unfold.

One of Walt's final visions, Magic Kingdom Park offers a unique glimpse into his life. During this 2.5 to 3-hour guided walking tour, discover the man behind the magic. Learn how events in his life turned into the cherished attractions and innovative touches seen throughout Disney theme parks.

Whether you're seeking a captivating history lesson or an in-depth, inside look at Magic Kingdom Park, this tour offers delightful details at every turn.

The UnDISCOVERed Future World
From: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/tours-and-experiences/un-discovered-future-world

The UnDISCOVERed Future World tour takes Guests on a fascinating journey that tells the story of how Walt Disney's desire to improve the world's future led to the development of Epcot theme park.

When Walt Disney bought 27,500 acres of land in Florida, his dream was to build an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, which he called EPCOT. EPCOT was originally intended to be a living, breathing city of the future inhabited by thousands of permanent residents. EPCOT Center, which was eventually realized as Epcot theme park, was the planned entertainment center of the community.

During this approximately 4-hour guided tour, you will venture into secret backstage areas of Epcot theme park and see amazing facilities that Guests are ordinarily not permitted to visit. Discover how Walt Disney's vision and legacy inspired the design and technology behind the Future World area of Epcot theme park. Plus, hear the amazing story of how a massive construction project brought Epcot theme park to life.

Behind the Seeds at Epcot
From: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/tours-and-experiences/behind-the-seeds

The Behind the Seeds at Epcot tour offers a one-hour indoor walking tour of the greenhouses seen during the Living with the Land attraction at Epcot theme park.

Discover the secrets of how The Land Pavilion grows delicious produce indoors on this special backstage tour. See the future of agriculture, go alligator gazing, release lady bugs and learn the advanced—and often experimental—techniques used to grow hydroponic crops with little or no soil. Watch how new methods are being developed to cultivate plants around the world and help make the Earth a healthier place to live.

If you want a preview of the tour, ride the Living with the Land attraction. If you like what you see as your boat cruises through the greenhouse, you will love the Behind the Seeds at Epcot tour.

So, what’s next...
Our ADR booking window opened on March 30th (easter saturday) and we have managed to get all the ADR’s we wanted! Here’s our list...

Crystal Palace - First Morning Breakfast 8.30am with Leanne and Matthew
T-Rex - Dinner
The Plaza - Dinner
Tutto Italia - Dinner
Hoop Dee Doo - We have Cat 1 seating booked for the 8.30pm show
Be Our Guest - Dinner with Leanne and Matthew
Sci-Fi Dine In Theater - Dinner
Trails End Buffet - Dinner
Tonys Town Square - Dinner
Biergarten - Dinner
'Ohana - Dinner
Raglan Road - Dinner
Kouzzina - Dinner with Leanne and Matthew
Chef Mickeys - Dinner
1900 park fare - Breakfast
Coral Reef - Dinner
Whispering Canyon - Dinner
Boma - Dinner
Via Napoli - Dinner
California Grill - Dinner unbooked at the moment until it re-opens
Yachtsman Steakhouse - Dinner booked in place for California Grill

Other Bookings
We have also booked our preferred viewing for Illuminations and were waiting to book that also for Wishes! We also would like to book Wishes Dessert Party and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party as well as seminars for Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival when they become available.

So...
Thank you for reading, sorry its a long one, and I hope you keep with us for our trip report which will hopefully come to you in video format and possibly a written food report too. We recorded our recent visit to Venice and will be posting those videos soon. So keep your eyes peeled here and at our Youtube channel : http://www.youtube.com/nicolafred

 

[wiigirl]

Great TR so far...can't wait to hear more.

 

[NicolaFred]

updated my ADR's!!