And for the first time in FOREVER...Back to WDW October 2014

[hokieinpa]

subbed and all caught up.. Your plans sound great and lot's of fun. We are also doing HDDMR that's our arrival day dinner. 9/24-10/5 POR RR
so excited it's starting to feel close now that it's almost ADR time ,I know still 6 months away but we started planning at 2 years so 6 months is close for us

I think we're pretty set on HDDMR! The more reviews I read about Mickey's Backyard BBQ the more it sounds like not the right thing for us. I think it would be fun BUT also stressful! And I'm sure the food is better at HDD!

I need to make an ADR countdown! April 22 for us! SOOO very excited!

 

[Lollicollins]

We're planning twins then! And what signature meal are you doing? They all look SO good!

planning twins indeed! We're doing Jiko on our actual anniversary. Im so excited. Gonna be magicallll lol

I think we're pretty set on HDDMR! The more reviews I read about Mickey's Backyard BBQ the more it sounds like not the right thing for us. I think it would be fun BUT also stressful! And I'm sure the food is better at HDD!

I need to make an ADR countdown! April 22 for us! SOOO very excited!

42 days until ADR day! =D I have a countdown app on my ipad. Counts down for ADRs, Fastpass+(162 days), Magic band deadline to customize(191 days), and check in day(222 days)!

 

[DISNEY4XMAS]

We got our welcome book! It's personalized with info about the resort, rides we might enjoy at each park. And a magnet with important dates and reminders! I can only imagine how excited I'll be when the Magic Bands get here!

Oh I can't wait for mine to come then! !!! I can't wait for the bands to get here either. I was sooooo excited just to pick them out.

 

[hokieinpa]

planning twins indeed! We're doing Jiko on our actual anniversary. Im so excited. Gonna be magicallll lol



42 days until ADR day! =D I have a countdown app on my ipad. Counts down for ADRs, Fastpass+(162 days), Magic band deadline to customize(191 days), and check in day(222 days)!

Jiko sounds amazing!! Are you bringing the kids? I think my husband and I might just head back to the park or to DTD after dinner one night and my parents will watch the boys.

I need to set up more countdowns! I have one for the trip but I think seeing it broken down by each step makes it go by faster!

Oh I can't wait for mine to come then! !!! I can't wait for the bands to get here either. I was sooooo excited just to pick them out.

I loved picking the colors! I'm pretty sure the boys will want stuff to customize their bands once we get to the park!

 

[Denovagirl]

We got our welcome book! It's personalized with info about the resort, rides we might enjoy at each park. And a magnet with important dates and reminders! I can only imagine how excited I'll be when the Magic Bands get here!

We just got ours too! Soooooo exciting to get fun Mickey Mail!!! I love it, and even the kids go nuts!

 

[hokieinpa]

Planning question! Do you take an afternoon break? I've read on lots of planning sites that an afternoon break back at your resort is a good idea - napping or resting or just swimming.

I know our youngest two will still be used to napping but I feel like that will be at least 3 hours out of our day! Between getting back to AOA, getting the boys settled/asleep, and then back to the park will take around 3 hours. I just don't know if we can give up that time!

On the other hand, Colin (the 2 year old!) gets super fussy and breaks down when he's tired. I don't want that at Disney! And I'm not sure if he would fall asleep in the stroller.

I know we'll take a break on the MNSSHP day since we'll be out late but the other days I'm still trying to decide!

 

[DISNEY4XMAS]

Planning question! Do you take an afternoon break? I've read on lots of planning sites that an afternoon break back at your resort is a good idea - napping or resting or just swimming.

I know our youngest two will still be used to napping but I feel like that will be at least 3 hours out of our day! Between getting back to AOA, getting the boys settled/asleep, and then back to the park will take around 3 hours. I just don't know if we can give up

We found that a lot of people left in afternoon & we took advantage of shorter lines. My son's actually napped in strollers whilw we did parent swaps.

 

[Denovagirl]

Okay- so I will say Maddie still takes naps, so does my older one Olivia sometimes, but both seem to do ok without one if we areout doing something...

So Basically our plan was to get to rope drop everyday tour have lunch go back to the resort for naps/rest/swim and then return to the park that evening and stay til close. Well this didn't happen once our whole trip!! Lol!

Getting the stroller packed and on the bus sucks, and organizing all your bags that you need with small kiddos and then the kiddos themselves is also a feat. By the time we got to the park we didn't want to do it all over again more times than we needed. It also took a while to use the buses and like you said, eats a lot of time.

We ended up just going and going and Maddie would nap in the stroller when she got too tired, or on a dark ride or in a show, lol. She never got too fussy bc she was always entertained and had new things to do and see! I'd say most her frustrations came from wanting to just run around and play more!

My suggestion is just see how it goes. I think you'll know if your kids are all getting cranky that you should just head back and rest. But they may do fine like mine! One suggestion would be to stop late morning and again maybe late afternoon at a playground/run around type area (all the parks have one or more) and just let the kids run around!! They'll be waiting a lot! In lines, for shows, for parades, and then in strollers a lot too...this helps them just burn energy and be free! I think you'll find if you do that most the time your kids will be able to hang in there or just nap on the go. Also try to do some shows or dark rides in the AC when it's heat of the day and most crowded. Look for the least popular attractions like Carousel of Progress at MK or Ellen's Energy Adventure at Epcot! Those are long, cool, nap rides for babies and kids with no wait hardly ever!

If you've planned your trip well then your not going to be one of those families who are having meltdowns and such and your kids are going to be enjoying WDW as much as you (or more) and they might not want to leave either!!

We did open-close all our days except one where we went to DTD and the girls both did fine (15 months and 4yrs at the time) we really had no tears the whole trip except for when Maddie wanted to be free to run around and she had to get back in the stroller or something...

It's good that your preparing for the possibility of returning to your room though, that way you won't be bummed you have to leave the park if that happens! And then if you don't it will just be bonus time!!

Hope that helps some!!

 

[hokieinpa]

We found that a lot of people left in afternoon & we took advantage of shorter lines. My son's actually napped in strollers whilw we did parent swaps.

I was thinking the same thing! We'll have 4 adults so someone will always be available to wait with a sleeping kid!

Okay- so I will say Maddie still takes naps, so does my older one Olivia sometimes, but both seem to do ok without one if we areout doing something...

So Basically our plan was to get to rope drop everyday tour have lunch go back to the resort for naps/rest/swim and then return to the park that evening and stay til close. Well this didn't happen once our whole trip!! Lol!

Getting the stroller packed and on the bus sucks, and organizing all your bags that you need with small kiddos and then the kiddos themselves is also a feat. By the time we got to the park we didn't want to do it all over again more times than we needed. It also took a while to use the buses and like you said, eats a lot of time.

We ended up just going and going and Maddie would nap in the stroller when she got too tired, or on a dark ride or in a show, lol. She never got too fussy bc she was always entertained and had new things to do and see! I'd say most her frustrations came from wanting to just run around and play more!

My suggestion is just see how it goes. I think you'll know if your kids are all getting cranky that you should just head back and rest. But they may do fine like mine! One suggestion would be to stop late morning and again maybe late afternoon at a playground/run around type area (all the parks have one or more) and just let the kids run around!! They'll be waiting a lot! In lines, for shows, for parades, and then in strollers a lot too...this helps them just burn energy and be free! I think you'll find if you do that most the time your kids will be able to hang in there or just nap on the go. Also try to do some shows or dark rides in the AC when it's heat of the day and most crowded. Look for the least popular attractions like Carousel of Progress at MK or Ellen's Energy Adventure at Epcot! Those are long, cool, nap rides for babies and kids with no wait hardly ever!

If you've planned your trip well then your not going to be one of those families who are having meltdowns and such and your kids are going to be enjoying WDW as much as you (or more) and they might not want to leave either!!

We did open-close all our days except one where we went to DTD and the girls both did fine (15 months and 4yrs at the time) we really had no tears the whole trip except for when Maddie wanted to be free to run around and she had to get back in the stroller or something...

It's good that your preparing for the possibility of returning to your room though, that way you won't be bummed you have to leave the park if that happens! And then if you don't it will just be bonus time!!

Hope that helps some!!

That does help! We've done no naps for both older boys a few times and they do just fine. I know the youngest two will be able to fall asleep in the stroller if they are tired enough. We'll have lots of adults to stay with them if the rest of the group wants to do something else too.

I think we'll play it by ear - take a break if we need it or stay out if everyone is feeling good. I do know that we will be taking a break on the MNSSHP day. We'll be out until midnight I would guess so a nap that day will be needed!!

 

[hokieinpa]

Non-Disney To Dos!

I love, love, love Disney planning (obviously!) and it feels like I spend a huge amount of my free time reading trip reports, making plans, reading blogs, etc! When are they going to release those October hours already???

But we have a pretty big list of non-Disney events and trips to take care of before our trip. I need to make sure I dedicate a little planning time to these too!

-Colin's 2nd birthday (Mickey theme) - DONE!
-Nate's 4th birthday (Star Wars theme) - end of March
-huge combo party for all 3 boys (we invite our whole family and lots of neighbors) - Easter weekend
-Easter (we'll have everyone over for lunch after church with an egg hunt) - Easter
-Jacob's 1st birthday (Baby Mickey theme) - May
-weekend trip to either Baltimore and the National Aquarium or Washington DC for some Smithsonian time - late April or early May
-trip to Virginia for my cousin's graduation - early June
-trip to Virginia for my best friend's wedding - late June
-BEACH vacation!! North Carolina for 2 weeks! - late July/early August
-trip to Virginia for my mom's birthday - late August
-preschool starts (Nate's last year before Kindergarten, sniff! and Colin's first year)

And Jacob may have another eye surgery somewhere in there. So there will be pre-ops, surgery, recovery, follow ups, new glasses I'm sure, etc! He was born with bilateral congenital cataracts and had surgery to remove the cataracts at 7 and 13 weeks old. He has worn contacts and glasses since then. His next surgery will be to place a permanent lens in his eye. He'll only need low prescription glasses and bifocals then. It's a pretty rare disorder and I had never heard of it until his pediatrician mentioned it and referred us to the pediatric ophthalmologist! We're really lucky it was detected early and that we have the technology now to perform such incredible surgery!

Whew! The list seems more overwhelming when I type it out! So with all of that I'm trying to limit my Disney planning time to a reasonable amount!

 

[hokieinpa]

October hours are out!!!!

http://media.disneywebcontent.com/StaticFiles/ParkHours/WDWTravelAgent_October.pdf


This means more to really plan!!

I'm going to need to swap some days based on avoiding EMHs and such but the basic plan will stay the same!

 

[Denovagirl]

That does help! We've done no naps for both older boys a few times and they do just fine. I know the youngest two will be able to fall asleep in the stroller if they are tired enough. We'll have lots of adults to stay with them if the rest of the group wants to do something else too.

I think we'll play it by ear - take a break if we need it or stay out if everyone is feeling good. I do know that we will be taking a break on the MNSSHP day. We'll be out until midnight I would guess so a nap that day will be needed!!

Glad to help! And yes, def a nap on MNSSHP day!!! We aren't doing a park that morning, we plan to just relax and sleep late and go to the party around 4-5pm.

Non-Disney To Dos!

I love, love, love Disney planning (obviously!) and it feels like I spend a huge amount of my free time reading trip reports, making plans, reading blogs, etc! When are they going to release those October hours already???

But we have a pretty big list of non-Disney events and trips to take care of before our trip. I need to make sure I dedicate a little planning time to these too!

-Colin's 2nd birthday (Mickey theme) - DONE!
-Nate's 4th birthday (Star Wars theme) - end of March
-huge combo party for all 3 boys (we invite our whole family and lots of neighbors) - Easter weekend
-Easter (we'll have everyone over for lunch after church with an egg hunt) - Easter
-Jacob's 1st birthday (Baby Mickey theme) - May
-weekend trip to either Baltimore and the National Aquarium or Washington DC for some Smithsonian time - late April or early May
-trip to Virginia for my cousin's graduation - early June
-trip to Virginia for my best friend's wedding - late June
-BEACH vacation!! North Carolina for 2 weeks! - late July/early August
-trip to Virginia for my mom's birthday - late August
-preschool starts (Nate's last year before Kindergarten, sniff! and Colin's first year)

And Jacob may have another eye surgery somewhere in there. So there will be pre-ops, surgery, recovery, follow ups, new glasses I'm sure, etc! He was born with bilateral congenital cataracts and had surgery to remove the cataracts at 7 and 13 weeks old. He has worn contacts and glasses since then. His next surgery will be to place a permanent lens in his eye. He'll only need low prescription glasses and bifocals then. It's a pretty rare disorder and I had never heard of it until his pediatrician mentioned it and referred us to the pediatric ophthalmologist! We're really lucky it was detected early and that we have the technology now to perform such incredible surgery!

Whew! The list seems more overwhelming when I type it out! So with all of that I'm trying to limit my Disney planning time to a reasonable amount!

Whew! That is a lot! But that's good! Plenty of things to make the time go by faster for Disney!!

October hours are out!!!!

http://media.disneywebcontent.com/StaticFiles/ParkHours/WDWTravelAgent_October.pdf


This means more to really plan!!

I'm going to need to swap some days based on avoiding EMHs and such but the basic plan will stay the same!

Eeeee! I just saw that too!! I already adjusted all my dates! I had to switch a few things around, but I like my plans even better now!!

 

[hokieinpa]

Updated Daily Plans

Now that October hours are FINALLY out I just had to make a few adjustments. I've also been rethinking some of our dining options too so I need to talk it over with everyone - only 30 days until ADR day!

So the new plan is

Sunday October 19 - Arrival/DTD
ADR - Chef Mickey's (dinner)

Monday October 20 - Epcot
ADR - Biergarten (dinner)

Tuesday October 21 - Magic Kingdom
MNSSHP

Wednesday October 22 - Magic Kingdom
*We were going to do Crystal Palace for dinner but I may cut this and do BOG for lunch QS. The boys aren't crazy about Pooh and Friends but I've heard the food is good! We would use the TS credit for either Sci Fi or 50s Prime Time.

Thursday October 23 - Animal Kingdom
ADR - Tusker House Donald's Safari Breakfast (breakfast) AND Hoop De Doo (dinner)

Friday October 24 - Hollywood Studios
ADR - Hollywood & Vine (lunch) AND possibly Sci Fi or 50s Prime Time (dinner)

Saturday October 25 - Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios/Departure


I'll need to decide about Crystal Palace vs. BOG and another Hollywood Studios TS choice. I really want to try either Sci Fi or 50s Prime Time! Any thoughts?

 

[Denovagirl]

Updated Daily Plans

Now that October hours are FINALLY out I just had to make a few adjustments. I've also been rethinking some of our dining options too so I need to talk it over with everyone - only 30 days until ADR day!

So the new plan is

Sunday October 19 - Arrival/DTD
ADR - Chef Mickey's (dinner)

Monday October 20 - Epcot
ADR - Biergarten (dinner)

Tuesday October 21 - Magic Kingdom
MNSSHP

Wednesday October 22 - Magic Kingdom
*We were going to do Crystal Palace for dinner but I may cut this and do BOG for lunch QS. The boys aren't crazy about Pooh and Friends but I've heard the food is good! We would use the TS credit for either Sci Fi or 50s Prime Time.

Thursday October 23 - Animal Kingdom
ADR - Tusker House Donald's Safari Breakfast (breakfast) AND Hoop De Doo (dinner)

Friday October 24 - Hollywood Studios
ADR - Hollywood & Vine (lunch) AND possibly Sci Fi or 50s Prime Time (dinner)

Saturday October 25 - Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios/Departure


I'll need to decide about Crystal Palace vs. BOG and another Hollywood Studios TS choice. I really want to try either Sci Fi or 50s Prime Time! Any thoughts?

I LOVE your plans! They are quite similar to my own! We'd be great travel buddies!

Haha, how funny your thinking of cutting CP and doing 50s or SciFi bc that is EXACTLY what I did!! Same reason, we're not huge on Pooh, and really its just another buffet. I would TOTALLY do 50's!! The food was sooo yummy!! And the atmosphere was fun for all. I have heard many people say they liked it better that SciFi, but were doing SciFi this time bc we did 50s last time and we wanna try both. I will say judging by the menus 50's would get my vote for sure!! If you do do it be sure to remember you can order a shake as your drink and still get dessert!!

BOG for lunch was awesome as well! I could hardly believe it was only a TS credit! They still wait on you too! You just order your meal at a kiosk. That the only thing about the meal that is QS to me!! You also get free refills here!!

Everyone knows I love my HDDMR too! It was hands down my fave dining experience last time! I am kinda scared that I got an awesome night and it wont live up to it this time, I loved it that much!

Biergarten was also soooo fun. Again, a buffet, but not at all like the regular ones! The food was great! And the entertainment was sooo fun too!!! You will love it!

It really is funny how similar our plans are!! LoL!

 

[Lollicollins]

Updated Daily Plans

Now that October hours are FINALLY out I just had to make a few adjustments. I've also been rethinking some of our dining options too so I need to talk it over with everyone - only 30 days until ADR day!

So the new plan is

Sunday October 19 - Arrival/DTD
ADR - Chef Mickey's (dinner)

Monday October 20 - Epcot
ADR - Biergarten (dinner)

Tuesday October 21 - Magic Kingdom
MNSSHP

Wednesday October 22 - Magic Kingdom
*We were going to do Crystal Palace for dinner but I may cut this and do BOG for lunch QS. The boys aren't crazy about Pooh and Friends but I've heard the food is good! We would use the TS credit for either Sci Fi or 50s Prime Time.

Thursday October 23 - Animal Kingdom
ADR - Tusker House Donald's Safari Breakfast (breakfast) AND Hoop De Doo (dinner)

Friday October 24 - Hollywood Studios
ADR - Hollywood & Vine (lunch) AND possibly Sci Fi or 50s Prime Time (dinner)

Saturday October 25 - Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios/Departure


I'll need to decide about Crystal Palace vs. BOG and another Hollywood Studios TS choice. I really want to try either Sci Fi or 50s Prime Time! Any thoughts?

awe we wont be at any of the same places at the same time, except maybe DTD on sunday and MK on saturday. Personally I'd pick 50 prime time over CP dinner. I havent eaten there but the food looks better

 

[spiritsim]

I forgot to mention we have 6 of us 4 adults and 2 girls. So we opted for POR rather than AOA because we need queen beds......and family suites only have 1 queen bed the pull out from what I have been told is not comfortable for adults.....and the table bed is deffinitly out for us...so POR was our choice, for comfort sake. And if we get FD that will be the icing on the cake!!! I do love the look of AoA and if they had queen beds we would stay there....plus my granddaughter asked for a pool slide and the values do not have them.

 

[hokieinpa]

I LOVE your plans! They are quite similar to my own! We'd be great travel buddies!

Haha, how funny your thinking of cutting CP and doing 50s or SciFi bc that is EXACTLY what I did!! Same reason, we're not huge on Pooh, and really its just another buffet. I would TOTALLY do 50's!! The food was sooo yummy!! And the atmosphere was fun for all. I have heard many people say they liked it better that SciFi, but were doing SciFi this time bc we did 50s last time and we wanna try both. I will say judging by the menus 50's would get my vote for sure!! If you do do it be sure to remember you can order a shake as your drink and still get dessert!!

BOG for lunch was awesome as well! I could hardly believe it was only a TS credit! They still wait on you too! You just order your meal at a kiosk. That the only thing about the meal that is QS to me!! You also get free refills here!!

Everyone knows I love my HDDMR too! It was hands down my fave dining experience last time! I am kinda scared that I got an awesome night and it wont live up to it this time, I loved it that much!

Biergarten was also soooo fun. Again, a buffet, but not at all like the regular ones! The food was great! And the entertainment was sooo fun too!!! You will love it!

It really is funny how similar our plans are!! LoL!

We WOULD make great travel buddies! LOL!

It's so good to hear good reviews of so many of my dining choices. I feel like I need to consult the others in my group since I'm making so many of our dining choices alone! No one else is into planning like me so it's my way or the highway!!

Did you go to Pizza Planet on your last trip? The boys love Toy Story so that was on my must do but I've heard the food isn't great and the inside isn't even super TS-themed. So I think we may just swing by to visit instead and let the boys play a few games.

I really want do to BOG for lunch but I'm worried it will be too "adventurous" for some in our group. My dad is a pretty simple eater but it looks like they have a few sandwiches that will be safe for him!

Did you ever buy a separate meal for your youngest daughter? My 2-year old is a big eater so I think we may have to get him a meal if the portions aren't big enough. Plus my youngest son (1.5) will be plate sharing too. I think I will bring some sides like pretzels and applesauce to help supplement and make the meals go further.

I've spent so much time planning our meals that I feel like the rides/attractions have taken a back seat! Now to start making our daily plans!

 

[hokieinpa]

awe we wont be at any of the same places at the same time, except maybe DTD on sunday and MK on saturday. Personally I'd pick 50 prime time over CP dinner. I havent eaten there but the food looks better

Oh boo! How much time do you think you'll be spending in MK on Saturday? We were thinking of just until lunch BUT I'm going to try to convince everyone that since we just need to drive 2-4 hours until we stop we can really stay until mid afternoon and then make it to our hotel by dinner!

 

[hokieinpa]

I forgot to mention we have 6 of us 4 adults and 2 girls. So we opted for POR rather than AOA because we need queen beds......and family suites only have 1 queen bed the pull out from what I have been told is not comfortable for adults.....and the table bed is deffinitly out for us...so POR was our choice, for comfort sake. And if we get FD that will be the icing on the cake!!! I do love the look of AoA and if they had queen beds we would stay there....plus my granddaughter asked for a pool slide and the values do not have them.

I really love POR! I know we'll stay there at some point when our youngest no longer gets a free pass! The Alligator Bayou rooms look like so much fun! And the pool does look amazing!

 

[Lollicollins]

Oh boo! How much time do you think you'll be spending in MK on Saturday? We were thinking of just until lunch BUT I'm going to try to convince everyone that since we just need to drive 2-4 hours until we stop we can really stay until mid afternoon and then make it to our hotel by dinner!

We'll be there all day saturday =) We're going to stay till close then either go to an offsite hotel, or book a room only res at a different wdw hotel (part of me wants to splurge on a little mermaid room) then head home on sunday morning. I cant bring myself to only do a 1/2 day since we aren't doing the party.

Am I the only one going crazy waiting for discounts? I found out yesterday that the payment we will beable to make next month will pay us off if FD comes out, and now Im even more anxious waiting lol