*A Few Questions!* A Princess and Her Prince Tour the Kingdom Jan 31-Feb. 2, 2012

[GenevieveRaqs]

I joined the Dis for tips on planning for our son's first trip to Disney World, set for fall 2012. But the more I read here, the more anxious I was to get back to Disney sooner! (I think this may be a common problem. ) Hubby and I made a whirlwind trip in January, hitting all four parks in two days. It was crazy, but we loved it! And just last night, we decided to do it again! I mean, we need another preview trip before we take DS, right? Just to check everything out...make sure it's safe and all that.

Who: Princess Genevieve, 30, and Prince Tristan, 32

What: Celebrating our wedding anniversary at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot

When: Arriving in the World Tuesday, January 31, checking out Friday, February 3

Where: Staying at the All-Star Music Resort

Why: Because we like you! Er...you know what I mean.

Dining Reservations: Akershus at 5:30 p.m. on 2/1 and Cinderella's Royal Table at 6:40 p.m. on 2/2

I've been to Disney World probably half a dozen times, but January was only DH's second trip.

I can't BELIEVE we managed to get Cinderella's Royal Table on such short notice, and I'm also thrilled that hubby agreed (suggested even!) that we do two very girlie ADRs. I know DS, who will be 4 when we take him in October, would not enjoy a Princess meal (he's definitely a Cars/Wall-e kind of guy!), so I'm a little more excited than a 30-year-old probably ought to be about doing two royal dinners! I'm a little bummed that we will miss the Main Street Electrical Parade due to our ADR, but having our anniversary dinner in the Castle will be worth it!

 

[GenevieveRaqs]

So, we learned a few things on our last trip that will make THIS one even better!

1. Location, location, location: Our January 2011 trip was impromptu (much like this one!) because we got a great deal on a really nice hotel in Orlando. On the OTHER side of Orlando from Disney. We got to Magic Kingdom relatively close to opening on the first day, despite sitting in lots and lots of traffic. But by the second day we were so tired that, knowing we had such a long drive, we didn't even try to get to Animal Kingdom for Rope Drop. This time, we traded a little quality for an on-site location. I'm hoping All-Star Music is okay!

2. Two days + four parks = insane: Yup. Insane. We had an amazing time, and we saw just about everything we wanted. Since January is such a slow time, lines were short except the Epcot headliners, Soarin' and Test Track, and the AK Safari. We opted to skip those hour-long lines in favor of seeing more, which was perfectly fine by us. BUT by the second night I thought we were going to have to call someone to wheel us to the gate at Epcot! We had a 7 p.m (ish) ADR at Chefs de France, and we got to Epcot sometime around 5 or so. We ever so slowly made our way first to Canada, where we collapsed on a bench. Then to the UK, where we collapsed on a bench. Then to France, where, well, you get the idea! So this time we're focusing our efforts on MK and EP. No Park Hoppers. And we're investing in new shoes to be broken in between now and the trip!

3. Carbs can be our friends: I'm a type 1 diabetic, and I keep a super close eye on my carb intake. Since we were on a shoestring budget, we brought our own breakfasts, lunches and snacks, then splurged on dinner each night--both in terms of money and carbs. But I found that I needed to eat more during the day than I was used to thanks to alllllll that walking. Which was great! (Thank you, pastries in France!) This time we're on the Dining Plan, and I'll still keep close tabs on what I'm eating. But I know I can cheat a bit more!

 

[GenevieveRaqs]

Thanks to some lovely Disers on the Theme Parks forum, I think I've decided what we will do on arrival night!

After check-in (and maybe a nap...we do have an eight-hour drive!) we will head to the Contempo Cafe at the Contemporary (looks yummy, but I've never been). Then we'll hop on the Monorail and head to the Poly to watch Wishes on the beach! I can't seem to find a schedule for the Electrical Water Pageant, but I'd love to catch that, too. Another first! Anyone know where I could find the schedule?

What's your opinion on the Contempo Cafe? Also (and this may be a dumb question, so bear with me...) can you get CS meals packaged to go? I've really only ever seen people get trays and eat at the tables in/around the restaurants, but I haven't really paid that much attention. I thought it might be nice to actually picnic at the Poly beach as we wait for the fireworks.

 

[GenevieveRaqs]

I'm not big on doing a full-on touring plan because I don't love the idea of criss-crossing the parks all over the place and being on some crazy schedule. With the crowds being so low in January/February, we did well last year just circling the parks counterclockwise. So that's what we'll do this year, too! We may try the FP dash for Soarin' because neither of us have ever been on it, and we will probably grab FPs for Peter Pan. Last year even Space Mountain was basically walk-on at this time of year, so we're hoping for equally good luck this time.

However, I do like to plan out where we'll go for meals. We already have our dinner ADRs, of course, so now I'm thinking about CS lunches. In Epcot, I'd really like to do the Tangerine Cafe in Morocco. I've eaten there once (years ago), and really enjoyed it. DH and I love Moroccan food in general. My concern is that it is alllllllllll the way at the back of the park. I know we won't have made it that far with our general touring by the time we're ready for lunch. So we may have to play that one by ear a bit. How would you handle your touring if you wanted to do lunch in Morocco? Again, I like to minimize back-tracking as much as possible. We probably won't get there right at RD (I'm just not obsessive enough to be at the turnstiles at an exact time), but we will arrive near opening.

In the MK, I'm thinking Colombia Harbor House. We've never eaten there, but the menu looks quite varied with several options that are NOT hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza and other typical theme park junk food. It looks yummy! Thoughts?