A WDW Trip... Well Because it's WDW! (Pre Trip 11/13 - 11/20)

[LSUlakes]

This will be my first attempt at a pre trip/trip report and I do not know all the fun tricks that others do, but I will give it a shot.

The Who:

DW - Cherie
DD2 - Hannah
Me - Jerry

When:
We are traveling from Baton Rouge, LA and decided to drive this trip. We will check-in on November 13 and check-out November 20.

WHY:
Because its WDW, and a great time is to be had by all who visit!

So, to the planning... I'll start off with stating I enjoy planning things in a lot of detail and I also enjoy using a excel spreadsheet to help that process along. My first revision of this trips plans started in May and I am now on Rev. 8.

We got our magic bands a few weeks ago, which is always a exciting thing!

Lucky for us we have a few things to keep us busy until we leave for our trip. Most recent being Trick or Treat for DD, who went as one of her favorite princess this year.

This weekend is a big college football weekend for us, which includes hanging out on campus with family all day. It also happens to fall on my birthday this year, so in addition to normal tailgate food, we will have some cake! After all that excitement, the packing process will start. It's a painfully slow ordeal and will only be complete at the absolute last minute, thus stressing out all parties involved. I will admit, packing isn't my area. Sure I could pack my own stuff, but DD and DW's stuff I would be lost on what to pack.

Before we really start, lets discuss some of out most recent WDW trips for background purposes. Our most recent trip was this January for the WDW Marathon. It wasn't my first marathon, but my first runDisney event. Everything was perfect, except the weather, but as we all know Disney can only control so much. During that trip, we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, which was a amazing experience. The only other trip we have been on as a family was for our Honeymoon in June 2009. For that trip we stayed at another great resort, the Boardwalk. I really enjoyed that location and setting for a adult trip. I am sure its just a fun for kids, but easy access to Epcot and DHS was very nice.

Day 1 - We are Heading Home (Travel Day)
Our plan is to leave at 6:00AM CST, which would have us arriving at the resort for ~ 7:00PM EST. The downside to a road trip on a Sunday is Chick-Fil-A is closed. I am going to miss this as a lunch option on the way down. Nothing overly exciting about the drive down, so we will skip that part of the itinerary. This trip we are staying at AoA's Little Mermaid Room, which will be our first time doing so. DW and DD love Arial, and I am looking forward to DD's reaction to the room. With a late arrival, our plan is to check out Disney Springs. It will be our first time to see it, and our plan is to find a place to eat and just walk around taking in the sights. After all we would have been in a car for 10-12 hours, so a nice walk should feel good.
Any suggestions on a place to eat at DS on a Sunday is welcomed. Moving forward I will post each days plan as a single post/entry. Post trip I will... well I will need to do more research to see how its done.

Hope you enjoy the report!

 

[rteetz]

Looks good so far!

There are plenty of good options at Disney Springs especially quick service. If you want burgers, d-luxe burger, pizza, Blaze Pizza, Wolfgang puck express has a bit of everything. As for table service boathouse, house of blues, splitsville, and portobellos are good. Depends on your price range though.

 

[Tigerlulu]

Boathouse has my vote for a meal there. I've read some great reviews of it and it's on our list for our next trip.

Add Sprinkles cupcakes to your list too. They have an ATM that dispenses them too.

 

[JulieODC]

Great start! I haven't been to DS since many of the new spots opened up, but we enjoyed Wolfgang Puck -- and shared a sundae from Ghirardelli. Our DD loved checking out the Lego store as well!

 

[girliea]

Great start Jerry! Hannah is adorable!

Its a long drive, and even longer b/c of the excitement to get there! My DS raves about The Boathouse, I haven't tried it yet but will on my next trip.
Have fun-I'm excited for ya'll!

 

[LSUlakes]

DAY 1 - Magic Kingdom 11/14/16

We get to get a early start on this day with Magic Kingdom have a EMH, giving us access to the park for 8:00AM. Since the park wont be "as packed" as a normal opening we decided that the first day would be the best for a daytime picture with the castle behind us. We are going to purchase the MM again. We enjoyed not having to bring our nice camera out with a risk of it getting damaged or worse. Like I mentioned before I haven't done one of these before so I am just going to put a list out of our "plans" and add comments on some of the more exciting things. I also failed to mention that DD will be celebrating her 3rd birthday as well! I said "plans" earlier because as anyone with small children would know a melt down or any other unknown can and more than likely will happen. The plans are just a guideline to try to maximize our time in the parks.

*8:30 AM Jungle Cruise will be our first ride. We did not ride it in January and I am not sure if that's because it was closed or we decided to skip it. I also heard that it will have its Christmas overlay by this point of the trip!
*Pirates of the Caribbean - Love this ride!
*Short stop at Gaston's Tavern for a cinnamon rolls! The day of the marathon post race I ended up eating 1.5 of these.
*10:30 AM FP#1 - The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - Another ride we missed in January, also maybe due to maintenance...
*Under the Sea~ Journey of the Little Mermaid
*Lunch at the Friars Nook - Pot roast mac and cheese is calling my name.
*12:55 PM FP#2 - Peter Pans Flight
*Space Mountain! The plan is to try to get DD to take a nap in her stroller at this time. She isn't tall enough for this one either. So we will get a child swap, and I will go stand in line while she naps and then switch to let DW ride while the nap continues.
*3:00 PM FP#3 - Enchanted Tales with Belle. I've heard great things about this, but it wasn't on our radar last trip. I hear if you get picked to partake in the show you get a photo op at the end as well. So that would be nice. DD call B&B, *Beast and Belle. lol. I think this will be a highlight for her.
*Another pic planned with "Meet Merida @ Fairytale Garden
*WDW Railroad - Shameful to say we did not ride the train last year
*Picture with DW favorite Ariel at Ariels Grotto
*Dinner at Pinocchio Village Haus - The alfredo looks interesting and something different than just a burger or nuggets.
*Its a Small World - Was DD's favorite ride last trip, I hope that changes as I can only take so much of that song.
*Mickey's PhilharMagic - Another first for us.
*9:00 PM Wishes Fireworks!!!
Post fireworks and if DD is still a go we plan partake in the following:
*Enchanted Tiki Room
*Haunted Mansion - late night, isn't that the best time to ride a scary ride?!?!
*It's a Small World - Going to be pushing it to get in line for this from HM before 11:00 PM.
*11:00 PM the park closes.

I'll throw in a few times here and there just for reference or when we plan on getting on a ride during a FP+ window. Also I'll note times of things that are a set schedule such as ADR, park hours, ect. I think this is a aggressive schedule for day one and would have to work out nearly perfect for it to happen. I say shoot for the stars my friends! We do have on our last day some time I refer to as "Free Time". This is time to try to ride the things we may have missed or we enjoyed so much its worth riding again. Upon our return I will recap each day to say what we did v/s what was planned and pics!

Hoping to get to day 2 later on today! Thanks again for reading!. If you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to comment.

 

[girliea]

Impressive first day! And with a 3 year old!

We were not that brave-didn't even bring our kids until they were all teen-agers! Hubs had never been to WDW and we had to convince him to go, so that was a hold up too.
Now my kids are Disney freaks, so it all worked out.

Anyway, your plans look great!

 

[LSUlakes]

Impressive first day! And with a 3 year old!

We were not that brave-didn't even bring our kids until they were all teen-agers! Hubs had never been to WDW and we had to convince him to go, so that was a hold up too.
Now my kids are Disney freaks, so it all worked out.

Anyway, your plans look great!

Thanks! I imagine that this trip will be a big difference than January's trip since DD had just turned two and will be turning 3 soon. They change so much in such a short amount of time. I am actually pretty excited to see how she reacts this time to everything.

 

[michigandergirl]

Your daughter will love AOA! We stayed there in 2013 in a Nemo Suite. The theming is incredible - so perfectly Disney.

 

[LSUlakes]

Before getting started on day 2, a few other things worth mentioning. I planned on us leaving the room 1 hour before park opening. This should give us plenty of time for what I am told is a long walk from the Little Mermaid rooms to the bus stop + the bus ride and getting in line for park opening. Thoughts on the being enough time? I will also include some runs that will need to take place. This trip is planned during the middle of a marathon training program, and we planned this week because its a planned low mileage week, but with the trip is will be even fewer miles. So day 2 starts off with a run... As you can probably tell I have a few obsessions in life, Disney, Family, Running, and my beloved Tigers. Moving on now...

DAY 2 - Hollywood Studios & Epcot 11/15/16

*6:30 AM - 5 mile run
The first couple of rides are kind of unfair for DD as she will be to small to ride them, but we will make it up to her later in the day and for her troubles get her some popcorn. The child loves pop pop!
*9:00 AM - Rope Drop - Never done it at HS, and not sure if its as exciting as MK, but I wanted to get a early start.
*Rock N Roller Coaster - This will have to be child swap ride and I hope I get in line early enough to not have a major wait.
*10:15 AM - FP#1 - Tower of Terror - Although she is tall enough for this ride, I am not sure we want to push our luck with this ride at this point of the trip, so another CS
*Voyage of the Little Mermaid - DW's absolute favorite, like school girl excited about the show. DD is also a fan.
*11:50 AM - FP#2 - Toy Story Mania! - My wife has beaten me Every Single Time on this ride. I even try to cheat and still I get fewer points. I think this time we may try to get DD to put on the glasses and try the shooting herself, so two separate cars, but that's ok. I will accept my defeat yet again.
*Lunch - I want to go to Rosies for the fried green tomato sandwich, but it may be a bit out of the way and if we are behind schedule we may go with ABC or Backlot.
*1:15 PM - FP#3 - For the First Time in Forever. This was DD's favorite movie nearly a year ago but she might be a little burnt out on it now. Either way, she still enjoys Frozen. The show actually starts at 1:30, but it was recommended to show up 15 minutes prior to. Not sure how important that part is...
After this FP, we are going to try to get a FP for Soarin late this afternoon... Fingers crossed!
*Muppet Vision - Sadly, we skipped it last trip and its a must as I have wonderful memories from my childhood of watching this. Looking forward to it!
*4:00 PM - Arrive at Epcot by Bus.
*Spaceship Earth - A classic.
*Living with the Land
*Journey Into Imagination with Figment
Walk the world showcase with a possible stop at Mexico for a margarita???
*7:20 PM - ADR @ Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria (Italy). This restaurant was highly recommended to me by my aunt who travels to WDW frequently. Who doesn't like pizza, and a pint of Moretti?
*Pick a Pearl @ Japan Pavilion. I recently learned about this, and want to make it a tradition for DD each time we make a trip to WDW to get a pearl. (Hope we make many trips in years to come.) When she gets older take all of the pearls and turn it into something special for her. The dilemma is do I get two this time to make up for missing out on her first trip... decisions.. decisions.
*9:00 PM - Illuminations
EMH 9:00 - 11:00 PM
*Gran Fiesta Tour
*Soarin - Hopefully that FP works out or we get to stand in line. Good news is, DD is tall enough for this one, and I don't think she will be afraid of this one. If so, its a safe bet to say a attempt at ToT is lost.
11:00 PM - Park Close.

So that's day 2. Not as jammed pack as day one, but still a lot to do. I did not build a good nap opportunity into this one and the best situation would be a nap in transition between the two parks. No nap would make for a shorter afternoon, but that's just the way it goes. Again, thanks for reading along and the comments!

 

[rteetz]

Did you purchase MM before the trip? It's cheaper before the trip than during I would recommend that.

Jingle cruise started yesterday so yes you will have the Christmas overlay.

The rest of the MK day looks great!

Come on Jerry you let your wife win right?

I recommend Via Napoli as well.

 

[LSUlakes]

Did you purchase MM before the trip? It's cheaper before the trip than during I would recommend that.

Jingle cruise started yesterday so yes you will have the Christmas overlay.

The rest of the MK day looks great!

Come on Jerry you let your wife win right?

I recommend Via Napoli as well.

We haven't purchased MM yet but will before this weekend because of what you mentioned. Thanks!

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Love your plans so far! AoA is amazing! We had so much fun when we stayed in the Lion King rooms a couple of years ago, but as LM fan myself I loved walking through that area the most!
Also, ETWB is a lot of fun, especially if your daughter is into it, which I imagine she would be-- she's super cute by the way!

Rope drop at HS is definitely not as exciting as Magic Kingdom's. I'm always surprised at the non rope drop event that it is. They started letting people walk to where they were going before opening time. Usually we are booking it for Jedi Training, so I've never gone to a ride first. A 1/2 day at HS and then Epcot sounds perfect.

Also, I'm jealous of all of the Christmas decorations you will see. I've never been at Christmastime and really feel like that needs to be corrected!

 

[LSUlakes]

Love your plans so far! AoA is amazing! We had so much fun when we stayed in the Lion King rooms a couple of years ago, but as LM fan myself I loved walking through that area the most!
Also, ETWB is a lot of fun, especially if your daughter is into it, which I imagine she would be-- she's super cute by the way!

Rope drop at HS is definitely not as excited as Magic Kingdom. I'm always surprised at the non rope drop event it is. They started letting people walk to where they were going before the time started. Usually we are booking it for Jedi Training, so I've never gone to a ride first. A 1/2 day at HS and then Epcot sounds perfect.

Also, I'm jealous of all of the Christmas decorations you will see. I've never been at Christmastime and really feel like that needs to be corrected!

Thanks for reading along! Later on in the trip we are going to reverse the order of Epcot / HS, to experience each park in the morning and night. I think she is cute to, but I may be a little bias. Thank you! Every time I mention WDW, she ask are we going now... lol only 11 more days!

 

[LSUlakes]

Today my birthday present came in the mail, which is perfect timing. I got a new bag that I wanted for all future WDW trips as well as any other trips I take anywhere else. So it had to fit a lot or requirements.

A fun little story about last trip and why I am so excited about "just a bag". On our last trip we used one of those drawstring bags that you get a race expos. Well by day two it started ripping at the seams. To combat that issue I used the safety pins from the marathon that I left in the bad after the race. Well it made it a day or two, but as we went to put stuff back in it after a dipper change the whole thing split in half except the opening. We had to get a gift bag from a store to put our stuff in for the remainder of that day and used an additional bag for the next few days, which also started to fall apart. So, now I have a very sturdy bad that can take some serious abuse and somewhat tolerant to the weather. I can also use it for a gym bag or hiking. There's a little place for a hydration bag and what not. I think it's very cool. lol Anyway, that's enough for tonight. I will post day 3 tomorrow!

 

[LSUlakes]

DAY 3 - Magic Kingdom Part 2 11/16/16

For our second trip to MK for this trip we will find out of Disneys commercial of the little kid saying he is tall enough to ride SDMT and wants to actually works. The last time we measured DD she was just above 40" without shoes. Above 40" opens up several ride opportunities and before we try ToT, we will give it a go with some fun themed thrill rides. So let us begin with day 3 plans.

*6:30 AM - Another 5 miler.
*8:30 AM - Make it to the park early enough for rope drop / park opening show.
*Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin
*9:55 AM - Cinderella's Royal Table - I think we are all looking forward to this experience. I like that it eliminates the need to stand in additional lines for character photos, so even though its a little on the high end of cost, I see a lot of value in experience and in saving time. I think DD will be bouncing off the walls about being in the castle.
*Splash Mountain
*12:45 PM - FP# 1 - Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. It is going to be interesting to get DD on this ride if SM does not go well. Maybe while in line a youtube video of the commercial of the kids first rollercoaster will build confidence.

*Mad Tea Party
*2:30 PM - FP# 2 - Space Mountain. This will be another opportunity for CS / nap time.
*People Mover - It is a must do each trip, and DW doesn't understand why I get so excited about it. I really enjoy the relaxed ride and going into space mountain.
*4:15 PM - FP# 3 - Tomorrowland Speedway. Another ride we skipped out on last trip because the wait time was much more than I was willing to wait. With DD being tall enough I made sure we will get to ride it by using a FP+. Probably not the best use of a FP, but I am ok with that.
*Carousel of Progress - Another must! If I remember the exterior sign and building have a new look as well as the inside seats have been redone. That's reason enough to ride this classic as well!
*6:00 PM - Columbia Harbour House
*Country Bear Jamboree
*Pirates of the Caribbean
*9:00 PM - Wishes
*Prince Charming Regal Carrousel - After what could be a scary day for DD with the thrill rides, I figure a nice easy carrousel ride would be a nice way to close out the night. Plus night time pictures on the ride have some high potential.

Summary of day 3. It could go really well and we wont need to make any major adjustments to the rest of the plans, or it could scare DD so bad with the two thrill rides that she may be terrified to get in line again. Big risk = big reward. I think the one she will like the least will probably be splash mountain, and if I recall correctly there is only that one big drop at the end. Speaking of this ride, I know its way out of the way of where the rest of the day brings us, but I wanted to ride it while the sun is still up just incase it is cool at night we have the chance to dry off before sunset.

 

[girliea]

Planning looks great! Y'all are gonna sleep like logs when y'all get back to the room!

 

[rteetz]

Day 3 looks great!

 

[LSUlakes]

Planning looks great! Y'all are gonna sleep like logs when y'all get back to the room!

Day 3 looks great!

Thanks to both of you. I've spent more time than I am proud to admit working on it. lol

 

[MrsIncredibleNY]

DAY 1 - Magic Kingdom 11/14/16

We get to get a early start on this day with Magic Kingdom have a EMH, giving us access to the park for 8:00AM. Since the park wont be "as packed" as a normal opening we decided that the first day would be the best for a daytime picture with the castle behind us. We are going to purchase the MM again. We enjoyed not having to bring our nice camera out with a risk of it getting damaged or worse. Like I mentioned before I haven't done one of these before so I am just going to put a list out of our "plans" and add comments on some of the more exciting things. I also failed to mention that DD will be celebrating her 3rd birthday as well! I said "plans" earlier because as anyone with small children would know a melt down or any other unknown can and more than likely will happen. The plans are just a guideline to try to maximize our time in the parks.

Aint that the truth!

I was putting together our touring plans and my husband was all "you know it's not going to work out like that, right?" But I told him I wanted to have at least a rough idea of the best Fastpass times to get. So I get you!

Let me know if your three year old naps in the stroller! I hope mine does.