August 2024 first trip with a kiddo … Down in Port Orleans!

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Soarin’ – but only if the standby line is decently short*

My five-year-old daughter is VERY excited to ride Soarin’. If you can manage to grab (1) Remy and (2) Frozen as your first two LL, you shouldn’t have a problem getting Soarin’ as your third. It’s such a nice, relaxing ride!

I’m not sure how Disney is planning to set up this attraction on Genie+.

Given how they’ve handled other recent “new” rides (and also with the expected high demand), I’d be shocked if Tiana’s wasn’t a ILL attraction with a virtual queue. I think they’ll pull the ILL from 7DMT and perhaps pull the VQ from TRON - Tiana will be FAR more popular than both, especially in the short-term.

I’d aim to enter the virtual queue first and then purchase a ILL to give you a chance to ride twice. The queue will disappear very fast (perhaps in seconds like RotR used to) so you’d need to prioritize the virtual queue first. Then purchase your ILL for that attraction, followed by booking your first Genie+ selection.

I’m waffling back and forth about Tron. DD7 is tall for her age, but this momma still worries it’s too big of a ride for her.

Given my commentary above about TRON probably being pulled off VQ, why don’t you try out BTMRR and also have her look at TRON and see what she thinks? You could always purchase ILL just in case and then get a refund if she balks and says no.

The Haunted Mansion

I adore the Haunted Mansion! It was the only ride I told my older daughter she had to ride (it’s slow-moving, and she can close her eyes if she’s nervous). She’s watched the YouTube video a ton and is more excited about it - most of all for the hatbox ghost. She is VERY excited to see the hatbox ghost - thank you, Disney, for adding a bonus to HM that excites my five-year-old!

I’d continue watching YouTube - it’s made a world of difference in my daughter’s comfort and enthusiasm for multiple attractions.

 

[piglet1979]

I hope we’ll get to see some of the parade and fireworks, but somewhere out of the way. DD7 doesn't like the loud booms of the fireworks and I'm not a fan of crowds being too close to my personal bubble.

For the parade, watch in in Frontierland. Still a lot of people but much less then the front/hub of the park. When we went last year to watch our kids and their marching band march in MK we watched right outside of I think it was Liberty Tree Tavern or the County Bears. There is a short rock wall that we sat on but no one was allowed in front of us and the wall kept people from being on top of us. Here a picture of where we were for reference. It is not the best picture but I hope it helps.

 

[MrsK53113]

Given how they’ve handled other recent “new” rides (and also with the expected high demand), I’d be shocked if Tiana’s wasn’t a ILL attraction with a virtual queue. I think they’ll pull the ILL from 7DMT and perhaps pull the VQ from TRON - Tiana will be FAR more popular than both, especially in the short-term.

I’d aim to enter the virtual queue first and then purchase a ILL to give you a chance to ride twice. The queue will disappear very fast (perhaps in seconds like RotR used to) so you’d need to prioritize the virtual queue first. Then purchase your ILL for that attraction, followed by booking your first Genie+ selection.

So this was kind of what I was thinking / afraid they would do. My number 1 priority is getting on this attraction, so if that means a VQ, I'll try for that. VQ or not, I will absolutely purchase ILL because to me it's going to be worth it. There will always be a special place in my heart for Splash, but I'm really looking forward to the re-theming. I have no doubt it will be a VERY in-demand ride.

I’d continue watching YouTube - it’s made a world of difference in my daughter’s comfort and enthusiasm for multiple attractions.

I will, thanks! She seems to do better when she knows what to expect. I think it's the unknown that makes her anxious. YouTube ride videos have been helpful for sure.

For the parade, watch in in Frontierland.

I love this idea! That sounds like a great location for the parade, thank you!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

For the parade, watch in in Frontierland.

I would second this! I love seeing the parade from Frontierland/Liberty Square and I agree it's MUCH less crowded and easier to find a good spot with less waiting. As a bonus, it's easier to get snacks to enjoy before and during the parade - there's often a popcorn and/or ice cream cart in that area.

 

[MrsK53113]

It's already the middle of April and I was hoping for an announcement about Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party dates and the date tickets go on sale already. I'm crossing my fingers the announcement will be sometime this week!! I will be glad to have that piece nailed down. If they change it from the historical dates (Tuesdays and Fridays), I'll have to change my plans around.

Also, I read about 1900 Park Fare re-opening last week and I looked at the menu. The gluten free options look better than CRT, so now I'm thinking can we fit in both on our trip??
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Day 4: Third full park day – Wednesday

Ok. This is the point where I broke down. There’s just so much to do and so little time to do it in for us. I want to do it all but I know realistically, we can’t. So how do I choose what to do and what to miss?!

Here’s my thinking so far:

The day before will be a LONG one. Rope drop Magic Kingdom AND the Halloween Party all in one day. We are going to be tired. And a tired DD7 is a cranky DD7. I want a more relaxed morning this day. Since we only have 4 park days, I don’t really want a full rest day, but I don’t want to push DD7 more than she can handle.

From what I can see (which isn’t much this far in advance of our trip) the summer hours at the parks are about 9a – 9p (some stay open til 10, and AK closes about 7 that time of year) with early entry about 30 minutes before. I didn’t want to spend money on Park Hopper tickets, so whichever park we go to in the morning, we’ll have to go back that afternoon/evening as well. OR we could always just go to Disney Springs for some shopping and food in the late afternoon - evening hours. I was thinking there’s more at Hollywood Studios for DD7 to do than Animal Kingdom or EPCOT. Especially since we're planning to do EPCOT on Monday afternoon.

​

Hollywood Studios day it is! No rope drop. But I do plan to get Genie+ for today and possibly some ILL for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. DD7 isn’t into Star Wars, that’s momma’s thing. She’ll complain and tell me she’s bored, but I think she’ll like the ride anyway. I’m undecided about Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. It definitely isn’t a must-do. We’ll see what the wait times are for this throughout the day.

I’m hoping to do Start Tours, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (I miss The Great Movie ride!!), The Muppets 3D (for DD7, she loves the Muppets!) and because no trip to Disney is complete without a Tower of Terror ride, I’m making sure we do that one as well! ToT is one of my top 5 rides in Disney. I’ve loved it since it first opened when I was a kid.

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Oh! I forgot about Toy Story Land. I’ll have to try to get a LL (first thing in the morning after RotR) for Slinky Dog Dash, because there is no way either of us are patient enough to wait in a long line. All of Toy Story Land is new to me. It wasn’t there 10 years ago during my last visit.

Both DD7 and I are not at all interested in Rock n Roller Coaster, so that's a pass for us this trip. She doesn't like that it's in the dark and as I’ve gotten older, my tolerance for rides that go upside down has drastically declined.

So, quick summary: no early entry/rope drop. A few rides in the morning, maybe grab some lunch or a snack, head back to the hotel for a swim break or rest, then back to the park for a few hours until 8-ish. I’m hoping to be back to the hotel room and in bed by 9. Tomorrow is our last full/park day. I was planning to leave this one up to DD7. But I might need a backup plan just in case.

Can’t forget my list (for those of you enjoy them as much as I do!) of attractions we’ve narrowed down:

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Tower of Terror
• MMRR
• Star Tours
• Muppet*Vision 3-D
• Toy Story Mania!
  

This seems like a reasonable list to get through in one day, right?

More older Disney pics for fun:
​

 

[mi*vida*loca]

With ILL for Rise and G+ that’s a very reasonable list if you make your first selection at 7 am.

Mother daughter trips are so much fun and special. You guys will have a great time!

 

[piglet1979]

With Genie + this is very doable. When we went over Easter last year (very high crowds) we were able to stack LL's to the afternoon (went on our arrival day and one other afternoon). I was able to stack them back to back. We didn't do ToT as that ride is not for me at all and I think RR was closed but I wouldn't ride that anyways. We were able to ride MMRR, Slinky, Toy Story Mania, Alien Saucers, Muppets and we split Star Wars between the two days. First night rode Millennium Falcon as a single rider (I used the chicken out line as I get sick on these rides). The second night we paid for the Rise LL.

My strategy was to get Slinky first and then MMRR and then play it by ear from there. Once I got the LL's I would modify them until I got the time I wanted in the afternoon.

 

[MrsK53113]

With ILL for Rise and G+ that’s a very reasonable list if you make your first selection at 7 am.

Mother daughter trips are so much fun and special. You guys will have a great time!

Awesome! I'm hoping by this day I'll have plenty of practice with Genie+ and LL selections .

DD7 is my mini me...... sometimes we're besties and sometimes we're frenemies. Depends on her level of sass (which she 100% gets from me ). I don't have a lot of pics of the two of us, so I went ahead and bought the memory maker in hopes of getting plenty of shots of me and DD7. I'm really looking forward to having those memories captured.

With Genie + this is very doable. When we went over Easter last year (very high crowds) we were able to stack LL's to the afternoon (went on our arrival day and one other afternoon). I was able to stack them back to back. We didn't do ToT as that ride is not for me at all and I think RR was closed but I wouldn't ride that anyways. We were able to ride MMRR, Slinky, Toy Story Mania, Alien Saucers, Muppets and we split Star Wars between the two days. First night rode Millennium Falcon as a single rider (I used the chicken out line as I get sick on these rides). The second night we paid for the Rise LL.

My strategy was to get Slinky first and then MMRR and then play it by ear from there. Once I got the LL's I would modify them until I got the time I wanted in the afternoon.

This makes me feel less anxious and more confident in my plans!

We only have the one day dedicated to Hollywood Studios, so I'm hoping I get some luck with stacking the LL's. Wednesday's are also statistically lower crowd days at HS, according to a few blogs, so I'm hoping that will help us get most of our list crossed off too

 

[MrsK53113]

Ok, so no MNSSHP dates yet!! UGH. How disappointing. I was so hopeful. But it's gotta be soon, right? Right?!

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I want to take you on a side quest to talk about food!
(Plus I'm still a little stuck on what to do for our last park day)​

Along with everything else, I’m worried about eating in Disney. DD7 is a picky eater. She loves carbs, and I can get her to eat a decent amount of fruits and veggies. But a food adventurist, she is NOT. I love trying new things, but I’m picky for a different reason.

A little bit about me…. I have a gluten free diet. I also try to eat as much dairy free as I can too, but it’s really the gluten that I watch out for. I don’t have a true allergy, there are no life-threatening or dire consequences if I consume it. However, when I eat gluten, I feel like absolute crud and vacation is the last place I need my belly to be irritated and unhappy.

Mostly because of the picky kiddo, I’m not planning to have a lot of table service meals. Especially not with the price tag that comes with it for most of the food to be thrown away in favor of soft pretzels and ice cream (the two things DD7 is most looking forward to). BUT. I have been looking into Character Dining and I really want to book at least one of them. With her being a big fan of princesses, that was my # 1 choice.

The only question left was…. Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in EPCOT or Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom. Ugh… more choices?! It came down to two different factors: which princesses were going to be there and what would DD7 eat? A little bit of research later I found that both restaurants have a majority of princesses in common: Snow White, Aurora, Ariel and Jasmine. Cinderella, of course, is at CRT while Belle is at Akershus.

Now. If it was solely up to me, I would choose Akershus just for a chance to see Belle (she’s one of my favorite’s). BUT, it’s not solely up to me. Also, in all my research I read that the lineup of princesses can change daily, so maybe, just maybe, Belle could end up at CRT. (A girl can dream, can’t she?!)

The menu has a lot to do with the final choice, really. Between the two, CRT had a much more palatable food choices for DD7 and the GF (gluten free) options seemed better there too. Especially the desserts, lol.

BUT, just when I thought I had the final choice all planned out Disney goes and announces that 1900 Park Fare has reopened at Grand Floridian! The menu looks pretty good for both DD7 and me AND Tiana IN HER NEW BAYOU ADVENTURE OUTFIT (!!!!!) will be visiting guests! Oh my goodness I love all the choices but also it threw a wrench into the plan I already had a hard time deciding on.

I was doing some poking around and it seems like all the time slots from now until at least the middle of June are full. This worries me that I may not be able to get an ADR for 1900 PF.

What do you guys think? Any recommendations? I definitely want to do one character dining. Either an early dinner (3:45-ish) on Tuesday – hopefully before MNSSHP (if dates ever get released! Seriously, Disney, please hurry up!!) – or a late lunch (around 2 ish) on Thursday – our last park day.

I have until June 19th to hammer out the final choices. That’s a decent bit of time to mull over it some more – but I would love your input / suggestions / recommendations, etc!

I love to plan, but when I make a plan and it gets derailed my anxiety ramps up. So, I’m trying to be more go-with-the-flow when it comes to dining, with a low number of ADRs. I feel like we’ll be doing a lot more snacking than eating full on meals anyway. And for Disney I’m ok with that! I have a whole list of places and snack choices to try while we’re there. What’s your favorite snack in Disney?

I’m most excited to try some GF beignets, offered at POFQ! There’s also a gluten free bakery in Disney Springs I’m looking forward to visiting; Erin McKenna's Bakery NYC. They have cookies, muffins, bagels, cinnamon rolls (!!) and all kinds of other treats and I want to try one of everything, lol. I’ve read on SO. MANY. TRIP REPORTS about Gideon’s cookies… and they look delish, but according to their website they don’t seem to have any gluten free selections, which is a bummer

 

[piglet1979]

I have a very picky eater too. DD lives (still at 16 almost 17) on mac and cheese, buttered noodles and chicken nuggets. We were always able to find something for her to eat. Sometimes it was just modifying a spaghetti dish to be no sauce and with butter only. She also only likes ranch on chicken nuggets and one of the places went next door to get this for her. You should be able to find food for your DD pretty easily.

As far as gluten free, I don't have much experience. My mom does have celiac but the one trip we were going to have to Disney was Aug of 2020 and it was canceled. We really need to reschedule this this trip. There is a Facebook page that I followed "Gluten Free Disney!" and "Gluten Free Disney Parks & Sea". They helped a lot in finding food my mom would be able to eat. I also know they talk a lot about eating gluten and dairy free as a lot of celiac 's have a sensitivity to dairy too.

As far as which of the 3 restaurants to go too, I would say any would be fine. We have eaten at Akershus twice. We liked them and (we used to do the free dining) was only 1 credit instead of the 2 at CRT. We did eat once at 1900 Park Fare years ago and the food was nothing special then but I really wanted to see the step sisters, Step Mother, and Prince Charming. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them and I would pick on who you want to see.

Or as another option (if it something you can do), instead of CRT could you do 1900 Park Fare and Akershus? The characters are different at the 2 except for Cinderella, who seems to be at a lot of meals. If only doing one, I would almost say 1900 Park Fare as those characters are ones you may not be able to see in the parks (I think, It has been a year since I have been to Disney and several since the kids were little).

 

[mkmomto2]

BUT, just when I thought I had the final choice all planned out Disney goes and announces that 1900 Park Fare has reopened at Grand Floridian! The menu looks pretty good for both DD7 and me AND Tiana IN HER NEW BAYOU ADVENTURE OUTFIT (!!!!!) will be visiting guests! Oh my goodness I love all the choices but also it threw a wrench into the plan I already had a hard time deciding on.

I was doing some poking around and it seems like all the time slots from now until at least the middle of June are full. This worries me that I may not be able to get an ADR for 1900 PF.

I just booked 1900 Park Fare for some clients who are traveling in June. I was trying to time up their BBB, but couldn't get a morning time and since you have to pay for CRT at the time of booking, I didn't want to book that and then have to change it or wait for the refund, etc. I was able to book 1900 PF pretty easily though. There were a lot of times available. I have to preface it that my clients are staying off site and so they were at a disadvantage for booking already.

 

[MrsK53113]

OK, still no MNSSHP update, still! I've been obsessively checking the Disney Parks Blog website. I did see the announcement for the Food and Wine Festival dates and was a little bummed that we'll miss it by a couple weeks. I was hoping to try a few food booths. I've never been to Disney that time of year. Oh well! Now I'm even more looking forward to the Halloween party dates.

Or as another option (if it something you can do), instead of CRT could you do 1900 Park Fare and Akershus? The characters are different at the 2 except for Cinderella, who seems to be at a lot of meals. If only doing one, I would almost say 1900 Park Fare as those characters are ones you may not be able to see in the parks (I think, It has been a year since I have been to Disney and several since the kids were little).

I think this is a very good option! I will have to move some things around in my plans, but I think I might try for an early dinner at Akershus on our EPCOT afternoon/evening. It's currently planned as our first park day, so that should be a fun way to wind down her first ever day in Disney!

I just booked 1900 Park Fare for some clients who are traveling in June. I was trying to time up their BBB, but couldn't get a morning time and since you have to pay for CRT at the time of booking, I didn't want to book that and then have to change it or wait for the refund, etc. I was able to book 1900 PF pretty easily though. There were a lot of times available. I have to preface it that my clients are staying off site and so they were at a disadvantage for booking already.

I'm glad you found a reservation for your clients! It makes me hopeful that I won't have too much trouble getting one for 1900 PF. I think I might add this one on our trip, but I'm not sure where in the plans I want to fit it in. Good thing I still have plenty of time