A Jan 2023 Pre-Trip Report - a trip through the history of our family

[gorkt]

Hi all,

I decided I would try a trip report for our sixth trip as a family to WDW. I thought it would be fun to start by looking backwards at the trips we have taken before.

Introductions:

Judi, 49
I am the family Disney World Fan. My parents took me back in the early 1980's a few times, and I have a real love for the place because I have been there nearly every decade of my life. I have been with my father, my mother and stepfather, my grandparents, my aunt and uncle when I was a kid and a teen. I went on my honeymoon (Port Orleans Riverside) and started taking my kids back in 2006, back when they were ages 4 and 2. Here is an older picture of me on our first family trip.



Jeremy, 50
Less enthusiastic about WDW, but still ends up having a great time. The love of my life, married 27+ years, my best friend, and an amazing Dad. Here is is on our 2006 trip, making a goofy face. You will soon notice a trend of him and my family not being able to take serious pictures.



Aurora (4) and Orion (2) - now ages 20 and 18 (!!!) this picture is also from 2006, eating their first Mickey bars:


The next few posts will be a few more pictures from other trips, jsut for the sake of Nostagia. A description of our upcoming trip will be in a later post.

Aurora after the BBB, age 7, 2009



Orion and his grandfather 2009, at Epcot :



Family at WL dock, 2009

 

[gorkt]

Next up is 2013:

Now the kids are at a super fun age, 11 and 9. In some ways this was my favorite trip because we got to ditch the stroller, and the kids could ride everything. Orion spent a lot of time at the AoA pool, and we generally were able to just have a more relaxed trip.







2016: Kids were 14 and 12 - another great trip over all despite some tween angst:

 

[gorkt]

Last historical post: 2019 - our last pre-Covid trip, kids were 17 and 15. Teens at Disney are whole different level of fun - we had a great time in Galaxies Edge, but RotR wasn't open yet. We stayed at CBR and made good use of the Skyliner. DH loved it so much that he requested we get another resort on the skyliner this upcoming trip.

 

[gorkt]

A little about my Disney philosophy. I love WDW, but I don't want to go every year, for fear I would get sick of it. I also live in Massachusetts, so its a plane trip away, so I have found I would rather go less often for longer trip so I spend more money on my vacation and less on plane fare. I also like trying new resorts every time, so that it feels like a new vacation every time.

Just as a retrospective summary:

2006 Trip: 7 nights, 2 nights at ASM Family Suites, 5 nights at Boardwalk 1 bedroom villa
2009 trip: 10 nights, 5 nights at Wilderness cabins, and 5 nights at WLV
2013 trip: 9 nights AoA Family Suites
2016 Trip: 2 nights Polynesian Villas, 7 nights Old Key West
2019 Trip: 2 nights Endless Summer Universal, 7 nights CBR

My trip challenges: My husband hates, and I mean HATES lines and waiting. So a poor fit for WDW, right? Yes, but I have been able, over the years, using whatever ride systems are available, FP, FP+ etc... plus other tricks, to minimize waiting. My son Orion is on the spectrum, so has a lot of sensory related issues in regards to food. My daughter is relatively easygoing, and will eat anything, but can get overwhelmed by crowds at times.

So it becomes my personal quest to help this motley crew have the best vacation possible. When the kids were younger, it usually meant early mornings. Last trip, with teens, it meant sleeping in most days and doing later nights. The flexibility of park hopping is one of our best friends.

I wont lie, park reservations and genie + might be tough for us, but I think we can make it work.

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[gorkt]

Hey thanks DLo!

So I have been honing my plans for a long time, and now that we are 3 months to Jan 5th, it's time to start nailing them down a little more. There are a few things I don't know yet, such as whether extra evening deluxe hours are still happening, or when the Arts festival at Epcot is starting, but here is my rudimentary plan:

I generally like early mornings with mid-day breaks, then hop to another park for the evening, but my son is not a super early riser so I am skewing towards more later mornings and a few late nights. I have park hoppers of course and have bought a few extras so far, and I am planning a few others. This is my first big trip since COVID so I am splurging for sure.

Basic Details:
Jan 5th-8th - staying at Royal Pacific Resort in Universal Studios - last trip I stayed at Endless Summer and bought a throw away room at Hard Rock for the express passes. I decided to spring for a deluxe room for three nights this trip.
Jan 8th-15th - Beach Club Villas - my husband liked the Skyliner so much last trip that he requested a hotel on the line. I like to stay in new hotels each trip, so that left the Riviera, Pop Century or Beach Club/Yacht Club since I have already stayed at AoA and CBR.

Universal Leg:
Thursday - arrive at hotel - check in and explore, maybe ht a park for a few hours, then head to Toothsome for Dinner - my husband's favorite restaurant.
Friday - Hit parks early for Velocicoaster and Hagrid, Park hop, spending most time at Harry Potter since that is the draw for us
Saturday- back up for rides listed above, lunch at Toothsome again (I told you it was his favorite), otherwise same as Friday, but leave early to go to Wantilian Luau show at 6pm
Sunday - Morning at parks then leave by mid day for WDW

Park reservations/hopping for WDW leg
Jan 8th: AK - the rough plan is to just move resorts from Universal by Uber mid day, and then just visit AK for a few hours in the evening - a low stress night - I may try to get a ILL for FOP in the morning.
Jan 9th: HS AM - buy G+, ILL for Rise (maybe), SD and MMRR G+ priority, start stacking a few rides for Epcot in the late afternoon, rest at hotel for a few hours, hop to Epcot in the evening for deluxe extra hours (if they exist) - Meals: Primetime, Sci Fi or Rodeo (if open) for Lunch, Spice Table Fireworks Party
Jan 10th: G+ for MK, start stacking rides for the day, later arrival after Kona Breakfast, tour park and then head to Fort Wilderness by boat for Hoop-de Doo revue at 6:15 - probably have an early night after that
Jan 11th- Epcot morning, ILL or VQ for Guardians if we didnt ride on the 9th, Space 220 lunch (cross fingers), rest at hotel for the afternoon and early evening, head to HS around 6-7pm for after hours event.
Jan 12th - Buy G+ probably - Late arrival AK - ILL for FOP if we didnt ride on the 8th, tour park - head to Disney Springs for Dinner
Jan 13th - MK morning - Crystal Palace Lunch - head back to hotel and rest - head to World Showcase in the afternoon for the Arts Festival
Jan 14th - Toppolinos terrace breakfast for me and my daughter - I have a park reservation for HS but with the addition of the after hours, I am going to change it, probably to Epcot, to do more Arts Festival Touring - evening is probably going to be hopping to MK for a Fireworks party
Jan 15th - Morning at Epcot for more Arts festival touring - back up morning for Toppolinos/back up Lunch for Space 220. Plane takes off around 3pm

Phew - I will have to reformat later

 

[gorkt]

I have been starting my Disney prep/hype phase. I have made my ADR list and am researching the best way to get tough reservations. My ADR day is Nov 9th. I do have touring plans so I can use their finder but here is my list in order of difficulty:

Space 220 lunch - can either do Jan 11th, 14th, 15th - which is 60+3, +6, +7 The +3 is ideal, but unlikely it seems
Topolinos breakfast - Jan 14th or 15th AM 60+6,+7
Spice Road Harmonius fireworks - Jan 9th - not sure how popular this is
Hoop Jan 10th 6:15pm - usually not a problem
Beaches and Cream- Jan 8th - late lunch
50's Primetime - Jan 9th lunch - may do a Fantasmic package instead on Jan 11th
Kona Cafe- late morning Jan 10th
Crystal Palace/Liberty Tree late lunch - Jan 13th
Yak and Yeti lunch - Jan 12th

Other options that I am still thinking about
Sebastians at CBR
MK Dessert party

Counter service:
AK - Satuli
HS - Docking bay 7
MK - CHH, Cosmic Rays
Epcot - France, Arts Festival stuff, Regal Eagle BBQ
Springs - Polite Pig

Snacks:
Caramel popcorn in Germany
DOLE WHIPS
Ronto Wraps
Star Wars Popcorn

I am sure there is more to add.

 

[jvalic33]

I bumped into your report as we are going in early January as well and just a couple of insights/thoughts on your ADRs.

We did Space220 and it's cool. The elevator up is cool and feels like your getting on a ride only to get to the top of the restaurant. Some of the food was really good and some was okay, but we got in when the lounge reservations opened up. The lounge was awesome, because you were not held to the set menu and we tried many of the items on the menu but weren't forced to. In that regard, I'm glad I wasn't forced to pick all of those because some were definitely better than the others and with all that food to choose from in Epcot we picked and snacked. The one drink they had that came with collector cards was really delicious. I'm not a fan of sugary drinks in Disney but this one we ordered extras of and not just for the cards. If you can still reserve the lounge, I highly recommend that over the regular seating, but not sure if that is still an option as I didn't check it recently. We were there last January when it was open for ressies.

All that said, don't feel slighted if you don't get in there. It's cool to have done it because I too was excited for something new, but it's not AmAAAAzing....but I'm also glad we did it.

Since your staying at Beach Club, I would just say not to pass up taking advantage of Ale & Compass and even the Yachtsman. Ale & Compass has my favorite breakfast on site. Chocolate waffles with cherries and marscapone whipped cream....yummmm

These are good options if something else doesn't come through for you.

 

[FantasmicMike]

Following along! We're going to be there on some overlapping days (Jan 3-10th), and I've thought about writing a trip report for the first time as well. Our last trip was January 2020 (RotR was, luckily, open when we went - and got to experience it before everything shut down!).

Best of luck with the ADRs and planning (my ADR day is this Friday!).

 

[gorkt]

Thanks for the advice on Space 220 and Ale and Compass jvalic!. Funny enough, I added that as an ADR on the morning we are leaving, just on a whim, because I wanted something fun to end the trip on.

Okay! ADR day was yesterday and I think it went really well! Honestly, I totally overbooked, and some of this stuff will probably go, but I am having trouble making decisions on what. This is the problem when you go every 3+ years - you want to do EVERYTHING.

Jan 8th - Beaches and Cream 3:30pm - this was honestly later than I would like - and I am going to see if I can bump it closer to the 2pm timeframe.
Jan 9th - Sci-Fi 10:45am - my husband is not crazy about this place, so this might end up on the chopping block too.
Jan 10th - Kona 9:20am - Tonga Toast - here I come!, Steakhouse 71 6:05pm - this is very tentative - we may end up going to Disney Springs instead that evening so I need to figure out where to eat there if we go
Jan 11th - Space 220 2:50pm - did end up snagging this - very excited! - Ogas 6:35pm - this is right before the HS after hours event
Jan 12th - Yak and Yeti 11:45pm - Hoop de doo 6:15pm
Jan 13th - Crystal Palace 1:10pm - Spice Road Table Fireworks 8pm
Jan 14th - Topolinos Breakfast with my daughter - 7:45am - Treats and Seats at MK 7:15pm - this is only if the California Grill Fireworks party is unavailable.
Jan 15th - Ale and Compass breakfast - but I might try this another day instead - I am hoping it is pretty openly available.

The rest of the meals will be counter service and on the 13th-15th we plan on sampling the Arts Festival tables at Epcot.

 

[jvalic33]

Thanks for the advice on Space 220 and Ale and Compass jvalic!. Funny enough, I added that as an ADR on the morning we are leaving, just on a whim, because I wanted something fun to end the trip on.

Okay! ADR day was yesterday and I think it went really well! Honestly, I totally overbooked, and some of this stuff will probably go, but I am having trouble making decisions on what. This is the problem when you go every 3+ years - you want to do EVERYTHING.

Jan 8th - Beaches and Cream 3:30pm - this was honestly later than I would like - and I am going to see if I can bump it closer to the 2pm timeframe.
Jan 9th - Sci-Fi 10:45am - my husband is not crazy about this place, so this might end up on the chopping block too.
Jan 10th - Kona 9:20am - Tonga Toast - here I come!, Steakhouse 71 6:05pm - this is very tentative - we may end up going to Disney Springs instead that evening so I need to figure out where to eat there if we go
Jan 11th - Space 220 2:50pm - did end up snagging this - very excited! - Ogas 6:35pm - this is right before the HS after hours event
Jan 12th - Yak and Yeti 11:45pm - Hoop de doo 6:15pm
Jan 13th - Crystal Palace 1:10pm - Spice Road Table Fireworks 8pm
Jan 14th - Topolinos Breakfast with my daughter - 7:45am - Treats and Seats at MK 7:15pm - this is only if the California Grill Fireworks party is unavailable.
Jan 15th - Ale and Compass breakfast - but I might try this another day instead - I am hoping it is pretty openly available.

The rest of the meals will be counter service and on the 13th-15th we plan on sampling the Arts Festival tables at Epcot.

I don't think you overbooked and had I not been in 3 years I would totally be trying all of these...

The only one I will chime in on is we (and this does not seem to be the norm) were not blown away by Steakhouse 71 at all.....as a Steakhouse, I would take Yachtsman, Le Cellier or Shula's over Steakhouse 71 any day, but there are people who like it, maybe if you are over that way it is a good option, but if you really wanted to go to Disney Springs....I wouldn't let that hold you back and one fun place we ate at last year was The Edison....we only had snacks and appetizers before Cirque, but we really liked it. We also loved Jaleo, we love the Boat House and everyone raves about Wine Bar George and we haven't made it over there yet.

Ale & Compass is usually very open....maybe not if I keep telling everyone about the chocolate waffles....but for now....it's a secret best breakfast on Disney property as far as I'm concerned and please tell me if the Tonga toast is good.

This is our FIRST year not having breakfast there and I was talking to a cast member and they said they had removed some of the bananas and that's why it wasn't as good as before (less moist) but I saw a recent review since the renovations and I think the bananas are back!

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

A little about my Disney philosophy. I love WDW, but I don't want to go every year, for fear I would get sick of it. I also live in Massachusetts, so its a plane trip away, so I have found I would rather go less often for longer trip so I spend more money on my vacation and less on plane fare. I also like trying new resorts every time, so that it feels like a new vacation every time.

Just as a retrospective summary:

2006 Trip: 7 nights, 2 nights at ASM Family Suites, 5 nights at Boardwalk 1 bedroom villa
2009 trip: 10 nights, 5 nights at Wilderness cabins, and 5 nights at WLV
2013 trip: 9 nights AoA Family Suites
2016 Trip: 2 nights Polynesian Villas, 7 nights Old Key West
2019 Trip: 2 nights Endless Summer Universal, 7 nights CBR

My trip challenges: My husband hates, and I mean HATES lines and waiting. So a poor fit for WDW, right? Yes, but I have been able, over the years, using whatever ride systems are available, FP, FP+ etc... plus other tricks, to minimize waiting. My son Orion is on the spectrum, so has a lot of sensory related issues in regards to food. My daughter is relatively easygoing, and will eat anything, but can get overwhelmed by crowds at times.

So it becomes my personal quest to help this motley crew have the best vacation possible. When the kids were younger, it usually meant early mornings. Last trip, with teens, it meant sleeping in most days and doing later nights. The flexibility of park hopping is one of our best friends.

I wont lie, park reservations and genie + might be tough for us, but I think we can make it work.

We're in the Northeast too. Your philosophy is similar to mine - I feel like when we spend money to fly (anywhere not just WDW), we need to stay long enough to justify the cost. In general our trips are on the longer end (9-11 nights ideally, and we like split stays too!) but we go once a year max. We're looking into a second trip in 2023 to do some Christmas things and it's sort of hard to stomach the flight costs for what we're intending as a 5 day trip.

Also, this year was our first with Genie+ too (like you, our last trip before this year had been 2019). I was really nervous about the park reservation thing, and REALLY nervous about Genie+ but I found it worked way better than I expected and I actually got more out of it than we did with Fastpass. You just have to wrap your head around the cost and sort of accept that fact. For us the best strategy was mornings in the parks, afternoon breaks where I stacked Genie+ for the evening, then back to the parks where we'd just get to hop from one thing to the next.

 

[gorkt]

Okay I think that settles it, I will cancel Steakhouse 71 for a Springs night. I have always wanted to try the Boathouse, sadly no reservations open at the moment, but I will keep checking.

 

[DisneyFan714]

Following. We are going in January as well. We are staying offsite, then onsite, since we are going to Universal first, so our ADRs don't open until 11/11. It looks like you were pretty successful with your ADRs

 

[jvalic33]

Okay I think that settles it, I will cancel Steakhouse 71 for a Springs night. I have always wanted to try the Boathouse, sadly no reservations open at the moment, but I will keep checking.

Just a heads up...you can book The Boathouse through their site online as well. Not sure if it is a different set of reservations but it can't hurt to try.

 

[gorkt]

Following. We are going in January as well. We are staying offsite, then onsite, since we are going to Universal first, so our ADRs don't open until 11/11. It looks like you were pretty successful with your ADRs

Good luck this morning!

 

[DisneyFan714]

Good luck this morning!

Thanks, we are similar to your family, that we go every few years but it's been awhile since we have been to Orlando (7 years) but have been to Disneyland and Disney Paris in between.

Anyway, a little hit or miss with our ADRs.

We are actually starting offsite and going to Disney for 2 days, then Universal for 2 days, and then onsite, and going to Disney for 4 days. We are going similar days, arrive on 1/5 and depart on 1/14.

So I was able to get the following ADRs.

Liberty Tree Tavern
Chef Art Smith's Homecomin'
50's Prime Time
Le Cellier
La Creperie de Paris
Tony's Town Square
Space 220
Garden Grill (not sure if I will keep it since it is our travel day and already have Space 220 earlier in the day.)

Some of the restaurants that I found most challenging to get were the following: Yak and Yeti (we didn't book any other Table Service at AK, so we may just do Counter Service at Yak and Yeti). Sci-Fi seems to be never available so I booked 50s prime time. Trying to get a Fantasmic Package but they are never available. I talked to Guest Services and they say they have been released through 1/24 but none literally available. I think there was one time slot for Brown Derby but not day we are going. The other reservation that I had a hard time with was a 2nd Table Service for MK. So I booked Tony's Town Square and the reviews aren't great but the Italian choices are pretty straight forward. Maybe we just do Counter Service at Columbia Harbor House. I wasn't looking for Space 220 but was able to get one for lunch so will keep it.

Also, planning to go to Polite Pig one night (no reservations necessary) and maybe Beaches and Cream (if not for meal, maybe Ice Cream).

 

[FantasmicMike]

Trying to get a Fantasmic Package but they are never available. I talked to Guest Services and they say they have been released through 1/24 but none literally available.

There's been a bunch of folks tracking this here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/“...-11-30-updated-with-locations-prices.3899500/

The best information that several have found is that January packages haven't been released yet. Some phone CMs have said that they've been released, but seem to be mis/uninformed. There's quite a few of us who have been trying everyday for some time to no avail. More info on the progress of that in the thread.

 

[DisneyFan714]

There's been a bunch of folks tracking this here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/“fantasmic-”-dining-packages-returning-11-30-updated-with-locations-prices.3899500/

The best information that several have found is that January packages haven't been released yet. Some phone CMs have said that they've been released, but seem to be mis/uninformed. There's quite a few of us who have been trying everyday for some time to no avail. More info on the progress of that in the thread.

Thanks for sharing. I had an issue with our La Creperie reservation, trying to update or cancel toanother time so I have spoken with Disney reservations several times the past few days and seemed to get different responses/support each time. The CM I spoke with in Guest Services seemed pretty certain but per the other thread, not sure so will keep checking at least once a day until we leave.

 

[gorkt]

I know this is unpopular but Fantasmic has never been on our must do list, so I plan on skipping it.

Thanks, we are similar to your family, that we go every few years but it's been awhile since we have been to Orlando (7 years) but have been to Disneyland and Disney Paris in between.

Anyway, a little hit or miss with our ADRs.

We are actually starting offsite and going to Disney for 2 days, then Universal for 2 days, and then onsite, and going to Disney for 4 days. We are going similar days, arrive on 1/5 and depart on 1/14.

So I was able to get the following ADRs.

Liberty Tree Tavern
Chef Art Smith's Homecomin'
50's Prime Time
Le Cellier
La Creperie de Paris
Tony's Town Square
Space 220
Garden Grill (not sure if I will keep it since it is our travel day and already have Space 220 earlier in the day.)

Some of the restaurants that I found most challenging to get were the following: Yak and Yeti (we didn't book any other Table Service at AK, so we may just do Counter Service at Yak and Yeti). Sci-Fi seems to be never available so I booked 50s prime time. Trying to get a Fantasmic Package but they are never available. I talked to Guest Services and they say they have been released through 1/24 but none literally available. I think there was one time slot for Brown Derby but not day we are going. The other reservation that I had a hard time with was a 2nd Table Service for MK. So I booked Tony's Town Square and the reviews aren't great but the Italian choices are pretty straight forward. Maybe we just do Counter Service at Columbia Harbor House. I wasn't looking for Space 220 but was able to get one for lunch so will keep it.

Also, planning to go to Polite Pig one night (no reservations necessary) and maybe Beaches and Cream (if not for meal, maybe Ice Cream).

You got a lot of good stuff! I had debated 50's prime time vs. SciFi and decided to go with SciFi because the menu seemed a little better.

Interesting that Yak and Yeti is hard to get - that usually isn't problem, but I have heard folks have had luck with the Landrys card. I was tempted by Homecomin' but since we are doing similar food at Hoop a few days later, and I went there last trip, I skipped it. They used to have a walk up window - I wish they still had it.

I ate at Tony's years ago and didn't love it but I have heard they have improved. I am with you on Italian - it is hard to screw up totally. I always like Mama Melrose as a sleeper meal in HS - I have never had a awesome meal, but never a bad meal either - a solid B+ restaurant.

I am leaning towards Polite Pig on our springs night actually. I have heard so many good things about it. I think that night I may just wing it at Springs and not make an ADR.