I figured that to help with the excitement of planning the trip as well as helping to contribute to all the wonderful posts I've enjoyed over the years here on the boards, I would start my own Pre-trip report. This has been a trip in the making for a few years now.. each year we say "Let's go to Disney World next year" and each year, something happens and Disney doesn't.. This year the stars finally aligned and everything is good to go.. So, without much more fanfare, I offer you the
Before we get started, I should introduce you to our cast of Characters..
First up: Me, myself and I.. My name is Brenda and I'm a Disney addict..I could go to Disney every year and be happy.. Heck, I wish I had the 2-8Million dollars to buy a condo on property.. Unfortunately, unless I win the lotto, thats not happening, so I have to be happy getting to go once every 5 or 6 years.. My favorite Animated Disney movie has always been Beauty and the Beast although Tangled is up there in the running. However, Miracle is probably my absolute favorite ever.. Favorite ride would probably be Splash Mountain but I love them all (with exception of Stitch... the hot dog burp makes me want to vomit)... Favorite place to eat in the world would probably be Le Cellier or Boma's, its hard to pick. This is my 4th trip to the World and I'm the planner. I'm a SAHM and currently homeschooling two of the heathens below.
Prince Charming: This is Charles and my husband of 7 years.. I knew I had a winner the first time I took him to Disney World and he loved it as much as I do. Charles is currently serving in the US Air Force and works Avionics on the F-22. He seems to love all things Disney and is a big kid when we go (The smile on his face when he posed with Mickey Mouse is probably one of my favorite memories).. His favorite ride is Mission Space, favorite park is Epcot and I'm pretty sure his favorite place to eat in the World is the Biergarten (although, if it has food, he likes it). This will be his 2nd trip to the World and he plans to be kilted for a large majority of this trip, especially when we go to Epcot.. His main goals for this trip are to get photographed with the Princesses he missed his first time and to ride Mission Space as much as possible..
Princess #1: This is Alyssa, our 14 year old DD.. This will be DD's 3rd to Disney, however her last trip was when she was 4 years old. Alyssa is in her first year of high school and is a Ssgt in JROTC. Her favorite ride is what she dubbed on her last trip as "the scary elevator" (ToT) and she was too young to remember what her favorite restaurant was but is looking forward to the Biergarten the most. Like her mom, she likes all things Disney as well as a huge fan of the Kingdom Hearts video games. Her favorite movies would be Mulan and favorite Disney Character is Mushu (from Mulan) and Scar (Lion King).
Alyssa on her last trip to Disney World..
Prince #1: Garrett is our 7 year old son. Garrett is suspected to be Einstein's syndrome (one aspect of Spectrum) and is special needs. He is a lovable boy but a handful. This will be his first trip to Disney World and is very excited. As of now, he seems to be mostly excited about Mickey waffles and the Wishes fireworks. Since figuring out we're going to DW, he has begun asking for me to play youtube videos of the various rides and shows. He's about an inch and a half shy of being able to ride EE and RnR but we're hoping he hits a growth spurt before then. His favorite Disney Character thus far is Maximus from Tangled and Mater from Cars.
Princess #2: Ashleigh is the youngest of our crew. At 5 years old she acts like she's going on 18. This will also be her first trip to Disney World and like her brother is pretty excited about Mickey Waffles. She's pretty picky about eating and will probably live off of waffles, pizza and mac and cheese during this trip. Ash absolutely adores Marie from the Aristocats and hopes to meet her and Minnie Mouse in the parks. Ash will be too short to ride things like RnR, SM, EE and such, so she gives us the perfect excuse to start planning our next vacation once we get back.. haha
Our Game Plan:
After alot of debate and stratigic planning, we have decided to brave the parks from June 8th-June 16th. This will be a first for us as I normally like to go to DW during either Feb or late Sept. While this wouldn't be a problem for the two younger children (we homeschool them), taking my oldest daughter out of school for a vacation wouldn't be advisable. Originally we were hoping to book a room at the Port Orleans -Riverside but unfortunately when we contacted Kathy at Magical Journeys to book, they were full. Kathy came through for us and we were lucky to book a room at the Boardwalk Inn at a nice discount due to my husband being military. We also have 1 night at Shades of Green booked as we wanted to make sure we have a room available in case we make good driving time and arrive to Orlando early.
We've elected to do the Deluxe Dining plan this time around. All members of the family are big eaters, with exception of Ash, and wanted the luxury of trying various restaurants we haven't been able to try in the past. We also figure that since Disney is not something we can do very often (DH and I both went back in 2009 for a late Honeymoon and haven't been back since) that we "Go Big or Go Home"..
So far, this is our itinerary:
Day 1: Check in to Shades of Green, enjoy the pool and relax after a LONG cross country drive from California. (Luckily we have family along the way that we can stop and visit and relax along the way). No ADR's made for this day, so we will probably try what SOG has available.
Day 2: Check into Boardwalk Inn and then hit Magic Kingdom running..
Three ADRs made for this day: Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern and Dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table. I'm debating keeping the CRT ADR at this moment, I've been there once and wasn't that impressed but I know Ash and Garrett are both obsessed with the castle so I will probably keep it just for them. Both 1900 and LTT will be a first for us and DH and I are both drooling thinking about the Lobster Eggs Benedict..
Day 2: Hollywood Studios
As of right now, we have three ADRs in park.. Breakfast at Hollywood & Vine, Lunch at Mama Melroses and dinner at 50's Prime time Cafe. All three of these will be new for us, although I have been to H&V back when they still had the character meal at lunch with Minnie Mouse in the red Flapper dress, but its been a long long time ago.. Ash is excited about this breakfast as she loves Doc McStuffings and hopes to see her there. I think we're all pretty excited about 50's as that fried chicken and pot roast looks absolutely amazing.
Day 3: Epcot
This is DH and my favorite park so we plan on spending 3 days here, giving us enough time to see alot as well as take breaks back at the pool as needed. We have two ADRs planned for this first day: Lunch at San Angel Inn (the two little ones are obsessed with the volcano and I'm obsessed with food porn pictures of Tostados de Tinga) and dinner at Le Cellier. Alyssa and I have both been to Le Cellier before but it will be a first for the rest of the family.. The two little ones have been doing a unit study about Canada so they are excited about going here as well.
Day 4: Magic Kingdom
Breakfast in our room and then on to the MK.. Two ADRs reserved for this day: we were lucky to score a very early "dinner" at Be Our Guest, which we will consider a very late lunch, and then later Dinner at 1900 Park Fare. This may change, as I've heard both good and bad about dinner at 1900 and we will already have had breakfast here so things could change.
Day 5 : Animal Kingdom
Here's hoping The Lion King will be in its new home and up and running by the time we get there (not holding my breath but hoping).. Kids love Simba
haha ADRs right now are a late breakfast/early lunch at Tusker House and then Dinner at Boma's.. Boma's is a must do for us on every trip as we absolutely love it. Tucker House will be a first for us.. We might even pay OOP for Flame Tree Barbecue this day as well, its absolutely YUMM and it would break my heart to skip it.. LOL
Day 6: Epcot
Planning on touring Epcot slowly.. Breakfast will most likely be in the hotel room (Planning on stocking up on cinnamon rolls and such at the AAFES at SOG), then lunch at Coral Reef followed my dinner at the Biergarten (my husband would hate me if I didn't plan this one, as it was I couldn't fit Sunshine Seasons in anywhere and he's not happy about that.. lol). Coral Reef will be a first for us but I think the kids will enjoy the tank wall. DH and I have both been to Biergarten before and enjoyed it very much (and I think DH managed to eat the entire price of the buffet in Bavarian cheesecake alone.. haha).
Day 7: Epcot
Told yall we like Epcot.. Hubby's gonna have to get his Mission Space addiction taken care of this day as it will be his last chance. Ash will get her Princess fix with an early lunch at Akershus, mom gets her fish and chips fix as well as Scotch Egg fix at Rose and Crown, and then finally a late dinner at Ohana's (thank God for the alternative childs menu or Ash would probably starve at this one).. Both Akershus and R&C will be new for us on this trip, Ohana's is a repeat for DH and myself as we went our last trip and while we found the service severely lacking, the food was excellent. Those Shrimps alone are well worth the bad service.. We're not planing on trying to rush back to the park after this dinner, will probably pick up a drink at the lounge at the Poly, find a secluded hammock or something and watch the fireworks from MK over Bay Lake as well as the Electric Water Pageant if possible
Day 7: Magic Kingdom
We always make it a point to start and finish any DW trip at the Magic Kingdom. To us, its a great way to start our trip and then send us home with Disney Magic, especially for the little ones.. To add to the magic, I've booked ADRs for The Crystal Palace for breakfast well before park opening so we can stroll down Main Street and see the castle without the crowds.. Right now, we've got a lunch booked at Whispering Canyon Cafe, but am seriously debating this one. While I enjoy the food, I just don't know.. I know the antics that make this place so much fun are usually toned down for lunch time.. I might go ahead and switch these for Chef Mickey's if I can get a dinner ADR well in time for us to get back for Spectromagic and Wishes. Or maybe even The Plaza?? Lunch will most likely be OOP at Pecos Bills as we absolutely love their fixing bar and can't imagine a trip without it.. haha
After we leave Disney, we'll be taking I-10 all the way home, stopping along the way to visit some old stomping grounds like Houston, the Alamo and San Antonio Riverwalk, The Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas before we make it home..
I'm probably crazy and I should really consider having myself committed to an asylum for attempting such a road trip but we honestly feel like we would miss so many opportunities to "stop and smell the roses" if we flew. I hope to use the drive to visit a few different places along the way such as historical monuments and such to further the kids homeschool education, plus it gives us the opportunity to visit family we haven't seen since being stationed here on the west coast.
Well, there we have it.. That's the plan as it stands now.. If you've made it this far and think this trip report might be of interest, I invite you to follow. As plans change and we get closer to pulling out of our driveway to head East, I'll update. Feel free to add input as well, such as if the Plaza is any good for example.. Once we get into the parks, I'll try to update nightly with lots of Food Porn, reviews and such.
A Family of Princes in the Royal Kingdom
Before we get started, I should introduce you to our cast of Characters..
First up: Me, myself and I.. My name is Brenda and I'm a Disney addict..I could go to Disney every year and be happy.. Heck, I wish I had the 2-8Million dollars to buy a condo on property.. Unfortunately, unless I win the lotto, thats not happening, so I have to be happy getting to go once every 5 or 6 years.. My favorite Animated Disney movie has always been Beauty and the Beast although Tangled is up there in the running. However, Miracle is probably my absolute favorite ever.. Favorite ride would probably be Splash Mountain but I love them all (with exception of Stitch... the hot dog burp makes me want to vomit)... Favorite place to eat in the world would probably be Le Cellier or Boma's, its hard to pick. This is my 4th trip to the World and I'm the planner. I'm a SAHM and currently homeschooling two of the heathens below.
Prince Charming: This is Charles and my husband of 7 years.. I knew I had a winner the first time I took him to Disney World and he loved it as much as I do. Charles is currently serving in the US Air Force and works Avionics on the F-22. He seems to love all things Disney and is a big kid when we go (The smile on his face when he posed with Mickey Mouse is probably one of my favorite memories).. His favorite ride is Mission Space, favorite park is Epcot and I'm pretty sure his favorite place to eat in the World is the Biergarten (although, if it has food, he likes it). This will be his 2nd trip to the World and he plans to be kilted for a large majority of this trip, especially when we go to Epcot.. His main goals for this trip are to get photographed with the Princesses he missed his first time and to ride Mission Space as much as possible..
Princess #1: This is Alyssa, our 14 year old DD.. This will be DD's 3rd to Disney, however her last trip was when she was 4 years old. Alyssa is in her first year of high school and is a Ssgt in JROTC. Her favorite ride is what she dubbed on her last trip as "the scary elevator" (ToT) and she was too young to remember what her favorite restaurant was but is looking forward to the Biergarten the most. Like her mom, she likes all things Disney as well as a huge fan of the Kingdom Hearts video games. Her favorite movies would be Mulan and favorite Disney Character is Mushu (from Mulan) and Scar (Lion King).
Alyssa on her last trip to Disney World..
Prince #1: Garrett is our 7 year old son. Garrett is suspected to be Einstein's syndrome (one aspect of Spectrum) and is special needs. He is a lovable boy but a handful. This will be his first trip to Disney World and is very excited. As of now, he seems to be mostly excited about Mickey waffles and the Wishes fireworks. Since figuring out we're going to DW, he has begun asking for me to play youtube videos of the various rides and shows. He's about an inch and a half shy of being able to ride EE and RnR but we're hoping he hits a growth spurt before then. His favorite Disney Character thus far is Maximus from Tangled and Mater from Cars.
Princess #2: Ashleigh is the youngest of our crew. At 5 years old she acts like she's going on 18. This will also be her first trip to Disney World and like her brother is pretty excited about Mickey Waffles. She's pretty picky about eating and will probably live off of waffles, pizza and mac and cheese during this trip. Ash absolutely adores Marie from the Aristocats and hopes to meet her and Minnie Mouse in the parks. Ash will be too short to ride things like RnR, SM, EE and such, so she gives us the perfect excuse to start planning our next vacation once we get back.. haha
Our Game Plan:
After alot of debate and stratigic planning, we have decided to brave the parks from June 8th-June 16th. This will be a first for us as I normally like to go to DW during either Feb or late Sept. While this wouldn't be a problem for the two younger children (we homeschool them), taking my oldest daughter out of school for a vacation wouldn't be advisable. Originally we were hoping to book a room at the Port Orleans -Riverside but unfortunately when we contacted Kathy at Magical Journeys to book, they were full. Kathy came through for us and we were lucky to book a room at the Boardwalk Inn at a nice discount due to my husband being military. We also have 1 night at Shades of Green booked as we wanted to make sure we have a room available in case we make good driving time and arrive to Orlando early.
We've elected to do the Deluxe Dining plan this time around. All members of the family are big eaters, with exception of Ash, and wanted the luxury of trying various restaurants we haven't been able to try in the past. We also figure that since Disney is not something we can do very often (DH and I both went back in 2009 for a late Honeymoon and haven't been back since) that we "Go Big or Go Home"..
So far, this is our itinerary:
Day 1: Check in to Shades of Green, enjoy the pool and relax after a LONG cross country drive from California. (Luckily we have family along the way that we can stop and visit and relax along the way). No ADR's made for this day, so we will probably try what SOG has available.
Day 2: Check into Boardwalk Inn and then hit Magic Kingdom running..
Three ADRs made for this day: Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern and Dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table. I'm debating keeping the CRT ADR at this moment, I've been there once and wasn't that impressed but I know Ash and Garrett are both obsessed with the castle so I will probably keep it just for them. Both 1900 and LTT will be a first for us and DH and I are both drooling thinking about the Lobster Eggs Benedict..
Day 2: Hollywood Studios
As of right now, we have three ADRs in park.. Breakfast at Hollywood & Vine, Lunch at Mama Melroses and dinner at 50's Prime time Cafe. All three of these will be new for us, although I have been to H&V back when they still had the character meal at lunch with Minnie Mouse in the red Flapper dress, but its been a long long time ago.. Ash is excited about this breakfast as she loves Doc McStuffings and hopes to see her there. I think we're all pretty excited about 50's as that fried chicken and pot roast looks absolutely amazing.
Day 3: Epcot
This is DH and my favorite park so we plan on spending 3 days here, giving us enough time to see alot as well as take breaks back at the pool as needed. We have two ADRs planned for this first day: Lunch at San Angel Inn (the two little ones are obsessed with the volcano and I'm obsessed with food porn pictures of Tostados de Tinga) and dinner at Le Cellier. Alyssa and I have both been to Le Cellier before but it will be a first for the rest of the family.. The two little ones have been doing a unit study about Canada so they are excited about going here as well.
Day 4: Magic Kingdom
Breakfast in our room and then on to the MK.. Two ADRs reserved for this day: we were lucky to score a very early "dinner" at Be Our Guest, which we will consider a very late lunch, and then later Dinner at 1900 Park Fare. This may change, as I've heard both good and bad about dinner at 1900 and we will already have had breakfast here so things could change.
Day 5 : Animal Kingdom
Here's hoping The Lion King will be in its new home and up and running by the time we get there (not holding my breath but hoping).. Kids love Simba
haha ADRs right now are a late breakfast/early lunch at Tusker House and then Dinner at Boma's.. Boma's is a must do for us on every trip as we absolutely love it. Tucker House will be a first for us.. We might even pay OOP for Flame Tree Barbecue this day as well, its absolutely YUMM and it would break my heart to skip it.. LOLDay 6: Epcot
Planning on touring Epcot slowly.. Breakfast will most likely be in the hotel room (Planning on stocking up on cinnamon rolls and such at the AAFES at SOG), then lunch at Coral Reef followed my dinner at the Biergarten (my husband would hate me if I didn't plan this one, as it was I couldn't fit Sunshine Seasons in anywhere and he's not happy about that.. lol). Coral Reef will be a first for us but I think the kids will enjoy the tank wall. DH and I have both been to Biergarten before and enjoyed it very much (and I think DH managed to eat the entire price of the buffet in Bavarian cheesecake alone.. haha).
Day 7: Epcot
Told yall we like Epcot.. Hubby's gonna have to get his Mission Space addiction taken care of this day as it will be his last chance. Ash will get her Princess fix with an early lunch at Akershus, mom gets her fish and chips fix as well as Scotch Egg fix at Rose and Crown, and then finally a late dinner at Ohana's (thank God for the alternative childs menu or Ash would probably starve at this one).. Both Akershus and R&C will be new for us on this trip, Ohana's is a repeat for DH and myself as we went our last trip and while we found the service severely lacking, the food was excellent. Those Shrimps alone are well worth the bad service.. We're not planing on trying to rush back to the park after this dinner, will probably pick up a drink at the lounge at the Poly, find a secluded hammock or something and watch the fireworks from MK over Bay Lake as well as the Electric Water Pageant if possible
Day 7: Magic Kingdom
We always make it a point to start and finish any DW trip at the Magic Kingdom. To us, its a great way to start our trip and then send us home with Disney Magic, especially for the little ones.. To add to the magic, I've booked ADRs for The Crystal Palace for breakfast well before park opening so we can stroll down Main Street and see the castle without the crowds.. Right now, we've got a lunch booked at Whispering Canyon Cafe, but am seriously debating this one. While I enjoy the food, I just don't know.. I know the antics that make this place so much fun are usually toned down for lunch time.. I might go ahead and switch these for Chef Mickey's if I can get a dinner ADR well in time for us to get back for Spectromagic and Wishes. Or maybe even The Plaza?? Lunch will most likely be OOP at Pecos Bills as we absolutely love their fixing bar and can't imagine a trip without it.. haha
After we leave Disney, we'll be taking I-10 all the way home, stopping along the way to visit some old stomping grounds like Houston, the Alamo and San Antonio Riverwalk, The Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas before we make it home..
I'm probably crazy and I should really consider having myself committed to an asylum for attempting such a road trip but we honestly feel like we would miss so many opportunities to "stop and smell the roses" if we flew. I hope to use the drive to visit a few different places along the way such as historical monuments and such to further the kids homeschool education, plus it gives us the opportunity to visit family we haven't seen since being stationed here on the west coast.
Well, there we have it.. That's the plan as it stands now.. If you've made it this far and think this trip report might be of interest, I invite you to follow. As plans change and we get closer to pulling out of our driveway to head East, I'll update. Feel free to add input as well, such as if the Plaza is any good for example.. Once we get into the parks, I'll try to update nightly with lots of Food Porn, reviews and such.
