Beware of Poachers and Look at the Little Gorillas! 3 trips in 1. NEW TR started 8/31/19**

[disneyAndi14]

Omg the bag check line at Epcot was horrible! The one day my husband got stuck behind a tour group and it took probably 15-20 minutes to get through!

We saw the dolphins too! I didn’t know there was dolphins in The Seas.

I always hear people rave about Via Napoli but I’m not really a pizza connoisseur. And I read they don’t offer a gluten free crust.

We tried several Festival food offerings but again not a lot was gf so it was mostly my husband.

I think your next day was when we arrived so I’ll be excited to see if any of our plans overlapped!

I know! We waited at least 20 minutes! Bagless to this park from now on
The Seas is always fun to walk around! The dolphins and manatees are my favorite
We really enjoyed the pizza, to bad there isn’t a gluten free option!
We had our Festival booklet but didn’t try much!
I will be reading along on your TR to check out your days!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Via Napoli continues to be a great choice for TS dining in Epcot!

Via Napoli is a favorite of ours!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I agree! We're all over the place with how we plan our FPs, but this is my favourite way to do it. Make the first FP for around 10, and then do as much with short rope drop lines as possible, and end up hitting the FP closer to the end of the window.

I like the start of 10 as well, I made most of ours at 9 this trip and I didn’t like that.

Oh no!! I always used to call my aunt, Lisa, my "kindred spirit" growing up. I hope I didn't upset my mom too much with that!

Ha! Andi was attached to Donna from 1-16!

Wow, this looks so good!!

The pizza was really a great lunch!

This is cute! Sounds tasty.

The pop tart dessert was very good!

Oh no! That's lousy! Thank goodness it was just that one time.

I dread loud people next to us, yuck!

 

[disneyAndi14]

We usually drive the ten-eleven hours but are flying for our August trip. It was cheaper than driving once we figured in the gas, food stops and nightly parking fee. I got early bird for our return trip just because I didn't want to mess with being online to check in 24 hours early while at Disney. The flight down isn't an issue because I'll be home to do it but didn't want to mess with it on the return flight. We probably would have been okay since it's just hubby and I and we would have been okay if we didn't get to sit right next to each other, but It was on;y $40.00 total to do it so I did.

Thanks for the info. It is very nice to not have to pay extra for luggage with Southwest, it looks like I can add early bird anytime so I will think about it! I drive everyday in this awful weather for my job so I do not want to drive at all when I am on vacation!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I haven't noticed if anyone answered your questions about SWA and early bird check in.

My answer, is it depends. If it is important to you to be in an isle or window seat and not in between random strangers, then yes, it might be worth it. Is it important that you have ample overhead luggage space available? Then yes it might be worth it. Do you prefer being in a certain area of the plane (front, back, etc.), then yes it might be worth it.

When we travel southwest we hardly ever carry on anything but a backpack each since you get two free checked bags. I also automatically do early boarding since I am Pooh sized and buy too seats (one for my left butt cheek and the other for my right butt cheek, lol ) They let me on first so that I have an paid for empty seat next to me.

So it really just depends on how you like to travel, how crowded you think the plane will be...and for me it would depend on the length of flight. If you have stops between origination city and MCO (even if not changing planes), once they do the passenger count after people de-plan, you can then move about to a different seat.

Hope this helps. Yes, SWA was the way we fly often...it was the only direct flight to my home city for me for a long time. Now that my son is older, and flights are so much more expensive I usually drive.

lynn

Thanks Lynn for all the good info, I didn’t even think about all the perks to early bird booking! I usually sit in the middle seat so Andi can have the window one. We do have a layover which I am not use to. If we fly from Minneapolis it always nonstop. It will be fine because the cost was so much better!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Hope things are getting better for you! We've had a colder than normal winter here too and some snow, but no where near that much.

It has been a little better but still quite cold! I see a storm for tomorrow, I hope it doesn’t cause trouble for you all flying out to Florida, I believe you leave soon!

These really are ridiculous!!! I understand they need to make room for the gondola's and all but clearly guest convenience didn't weigh on them at all

It is bad and the new bus stops are still far because of the skyliner

Would it be wrong in May to just ask you to ready menus or signs to me? A good Minnesota accent is something I rarely get to encounter.

Sure, I love to entertain, haha! Apparently mine is quite distinct

Funny Jason is the same way. He is from West Virginia....and well you can just imagine the accent that was his destiny. But he hated it and worked much harder then he probably needed to to make sure he left it in WV.

Andi tries to reduce the accent as much as possible, when she was little it was so cute she would imitate her dad and sounded so much like an Iron Ranger, haha!

Oh I love the AKL hot tubs. I feel like they do a good job of separating them from the rest of the pool so you have seclusion. There are even a few rooms that are basically right in front of them that I have my eye on. I figure if Casey can go to bed and we can hit a hot tub its a win/win for all

Yes, this was lovely and my sister was enjoying it as well so I didn’t have to go by myself!

We are going to the very last day of the festival and I know Casey is going to love this!

Yes, try to get some of these cute photo opportunities

Congrats on another trip!!! We always do the early bird booking, but since I've never not done it I can't speak to the other side. For $15 I figures its better to be safe than sorry, but we also need to ensure we have seats with Casey. I'm thinking this isn't a requirement for Andi

Andi ignores me the whole flight anyways, young adults, Beats headphones and hood over her head,

OMG that is ridiculously humungous!!!

Those crab legs were so delicious, I am spoiled now, the meat was in huge chunks, so sweet and tender

My favorite!!! May some be in our future next week. And awesome to be able to walk right up.

I agree! We will need to do this again in March, works for the vegetarian You would be proud of me, I haven’t really made any ADR’s for March or August!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Oh that pizza looks amazing!!!!! But I did have to go back and re read the cookie description......now it makes sense.....I wondered why Andi got a cookie with a hole in it!!!

I have lots of nieces, but one in particular I’m incredibly close to....and I had her all the time when she was a baby......we still remained so close after we moved away, and I think it bothered my sister at times.....but deep down I think she was glad her daughter has me too.......grudgingly lol.......

Oh screaming children in adjacent rooms are never what you want to hear!! Hope the hot tub was peaceful.......

Has your weather improved yet.........hope so.

Our pizza was probably one of the best meals we had this trip! The cookie was very tasty!
Andi and Donna definitely have a very close bond!
Screaming kids is always a fear I have, haha!
Our weather is a little better, I actually saw the sun for several days

 

[disneyAndi14]

YES YES YES!!!

Have to love the People Moverand with a Dis friend even more fun!

It's nice to do this once in a while, I really enjoy watching all the cool animals. But you're right - it does get really crowded in there

We always spend time looking at the Dolphins, fish, and manatees

This pizza looks SO good! But sorry your back had been acting up

The pizza was so yummy! All the different chairs at Disney bothered my back this trip!

I want to know what they do with all the cookie holes they remove I'd be willing to find a use for them

I never thought about that! I bet there are a lot of CM’s sick of chocolate chip cookies, lol!

Sounds like a good morning and yummy lunch at Via Napoli!!

Oh that stinks about the noisy child

It was a fun morning, taking it more low key! The pizza was so delicious!
The noisy neighbors is my worst fear at hotels, lol!

 

[Pluto0809]

Hi Caroline! Not sure how I ended up getting 11 pages behind but I'm here and caught up now.

Sorry to hear about your back, that would definitely be rough with some of the rides at Disney.

I was excited to see Remy and Emile in your pictures! They are one of my top priorities for the May trip. I have to meet them since my Yorkie is named after Remy.

I fly Southwest pretty much every time and I usually get the Early Bird. It's not necessary though if you make sure to check in at exactly 24 hours before your flight. I do Early Bird mainly for the convenience of not worrying about having to check in plus getting on the plane in the first group. Once you are on the plane, you can pick any open seat to sit in.

If you do the check in at exactly 24 hours, you should end up in the B group. Not sure if you know how Southwest works but there are three groups, A, B, and C and there are 60 spots in each group. Pre-boarders who need extra help boarding go first of course. Pre-Boarders have to be approved for that service ahead of time and have it marked on their boarding pass. Second is the A group, if you do Early Bird you should end up in A. After A is family boarding which includes families with kids under 6 I think. Then the B group goes and finally the C group. If you are in C you are most likely going to end up separated from your party and in a middle seat. I would suggest if you do anything, add Early Bird to your return flight so you don't have to worry about the check-in while enjoying Disney!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Yay for your March trip!! I'm glad you held onto the reservation just in case!! I feel like whenever I book a room I am more than likely to just go, I can never seem to cancel them! haha

As far as SW goes, I haven't paid for EB boarding since they upped the price. I just find that it isnt worth it unless you have a fear of flying and want a super specific seat or definitely want to sit together. My suggestion is to set up an alert on your phone for like 15 minutes before checkin time, 5 minutes before and right at check in time (for both ways). As long as you checkin right at 24 hours you can normally get a pretty great boarding position. DH and I forgot on our way home in December and ended up as C1 and C2 (I checked in like 2 hours late) and we still got seats together just in the back. So I just find the extra money to not be worth it!

I lol'd at your comment about your planning, its so funny once you get there and you think why the heck did I do this haha but I'm glad you made the best of it!

I feel like a sit down lunch is so underrated in Disney! There's something so relaxing about controlled temp, a comfortable seat and good food!!

 

[cstorm65]

What a great time you guys are having at Epcot!

We love Cape May so I love seeing your pics from there! We were there clam strip night on our last trip and really liked it!

What great luck for a walk up reservation at Via Napoli! I could eat some of that pizza right now. We have snow falling and I don't know why, but pizza just sounds good with snow on the ground!

 

[suse66]

We waited at least 20 minutes. Andi had went ahead of us in the no bag line. I sure envied her today until I realized I was carry her things as usual!

Lucky Andi to have her momma carry her things! I don't think I would be as nice as you are, lol!

I did parks back to back I never do this usually, oh well I am a slow learner

Parks back to back? Epcot night/Epcot day?? I do that a lot as there are different things available at different times of the day.

It was time to head over to LwtL. This attraction always puts me in a good mood. It has many memories for me. The first time I ever visited Epcot in 1989 we rode this and enjoyed it so much back then. D was with me on that trip. Hey @Dis_Yoda look a lady is actually working in the lab!

Love this so much too!

anyways now you all know how much she loves her Aunt! She did everything she could with my sister growing up and idolized her!

Awww! I love that they have such a close and special relationship. That is just what Shirley and I had...it is a special bond!

 

[missjackiemcg]

There were other things I wanted to comment on, but now all I can think about is that cookie and your pizza LOL I guess I'm hungry!!

Sounds like it was a fun day at Epcot despite the bag line! Your pic on TT made me remember how freezing cold we were on our January trip to WDW in 2018!! Brrr. But at least it looked sunny!

 

[kastoney]

It has been a little better but still quite cold! I see a storm for tomorrow, I hope it doesn’t cause trouble for you all flying out to Florida, I believe you leave soon!

Yep snow tomorrow, then ice, but hopefully turning to rain before nightfall and getting out of here before we leave on Thursday. School and work are already cancelled for tomorrow. If they close school again on Thursday I may actually see if we can get out of here earlier as Casey and I aren't due to fly out until afternoon (Jason is flying in the am to register for the races)

I agree! We will need to do this again in March, works for the vegetarian You would be proud of me, I haven’t really made any ADR’s for March or August!

So proud

BTW we are likely going in August too. Nothing planned yet, but likely sometime mid-month before our annual passes run out.

 

[buzzrelly]

We are going to Disney World again!!!

I found fair flight prices with Southwest for the March trip and booked!!

Yay! So excited for you!

I am so happy we are going now that I booked the airfare!! For those of you, who fly Southwest, is it important to add on the early bird booking?

I always book the EBCI, just for peace of mind. I don't know that it's super necessary but we tend to travel at a busy time of year with lots of families who get to pre-board. I also like not have to remember to check in right at 24 hours, especially while I'm down there. Before it was an option I would do just that though, so it's really not a big deal. Honestly, at this late in the game you won't get a huge advantage over checking in at 24 hours anyway. I'll be in that same boat for May since I haven't booked yet. I might just skip EBCI for that trip.

We all just ordered water and decided on a large pizza with mushrooms on the whole pie and pepperoni on half. This was just what the food doctor ordered! Yummy! We all really enjoyed that pizza! The crust was done just perfect, the thin red sauce was delicious and the toppings were just perfect. We almost ate the whole pizza.

That looks so good! I love VN

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

YEAH to another trip!!!!

I am so happy we are going now that I booked the airfare!! For those of you, who fly Southwest, is it important to add on the early bird booking? Andi wears headphones the whole flight so I don’t really care if I sit with her or not. I didn’t do it yet and probably won’t unless you all think I should.

We fly southwest alot. Def Don't waste your money dong early bird. It doesn't garentee you Group A, if the whole plan buys Early Bird, everyone can get it. We don't bother even with the girls. You will be fine without it.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Hi I just stumbled onto your trip report. I feel like I've read all the others. I enjoy watching Andi grow up from one trip to the next. I have a son that's also a freshman in College. It's hard to believe just how fast the first year is going.
It's nice that Andi is so close with your sister. Y'all are making such wonderful memories. I look forward to reading along.

 

[trackchik6]

I haven't noticed if anyone answered your questions about SWA and early bird check in.

My answer, is it depends. If it is important to you to be in an isle or window seat and not in between random strangers, then yes, it might be worth it. Is it important that you have ample overhead luggage space available? Then yes it might be worth it. Do you prefer being in a certain area of the plane (front, back, etc.), then yes it might be worth it.

When we travel southwest we hardly ever carry on anything but a backpack each since you get two free checked bags. I also automatically do early boarding since I am Pooh sized and buy too seats (one for my left butt cheek and the other for my right butt cheek, lol ) They let me on first so that I have an paid for empty seat next to me.

So it really just depends on how you like to travel, how crowded you think the plane will be...and for me it would depend on the length of flight. If you have stops between origination city and MCO (even if not changing planes), once they do the passenger count after people de-plan, you can then move about to a different seat.

Hope this helps. Yes, SWA was the way we fly often...it was the only direct flight to my home city for me for a long time. Now that my son is older, and flights are so much more expensive I usually drive.

lynn

I agree with Lynn’s assessment on whether it’s worth it to you to pay for early boarding. For now, I have not been paying for early boarding because my youngest is 4 and we can do family boarding when traveling with kids 6 & u!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Hi Caroline! Not sure how I ended up getting 11 pages behind but I'm here and caught up now.

Sorry to hear about your back, that would definitely be rough with some of the rides at Disney.

I was excited to see Remy and Emile in your pictures! They are one of my top priorities for the May trip. I have to meet them since my Yorkie is named after Remy.

I fly Southwest pretty much every time and I usually get the Early Bird. It's not necessary though if you make sure to check in at exactly 24 hours before your flight. I do Early Bird mainly for the convenience of not worrying about having to check in plus getting on the plane in the first group. Once you are on the plane, you can pick any open seat to sit in.

If you do the check in at exactly 24 hours, you should end up in the B group. Not sure if you know how Southwest works but there are three groups, A, B, and C and there are 60 spots in each group. Pre-boarders who need extra help boarding go first of course. Pre-Boarders have to be approved for that service ahead of time and have it marked on their boarding pass. Second is the A group, if you do Early Bird you should end up in A. After A is family boarding which includes families with kids under 6 I think. Then the B group goes and finally the C group. If you are in C you are most likely going to end up separated from your party and in a middle seat. I would suggest if you do anything, add Early Bird to your return flight so you don't have to worry about the check-in while enjoying Disney!

Thanks for all the good info, I think we will take our chances and get online right at the 24 hour time. We will each only have a underseat carry on. I love the no fee check bag! I usually always have that with Delta but all others it is an added expense.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Yay for your March trip!! I'm glad you held onto the reservation just in case!! I feel like whenever I book a room I am more than likely to just go, I can never seem to cancel them! haha

As far as SW goes, I haven't paid for EB boarding since they upped the price. I just find that it isnt worth it unless you have a fear of flying and want a super specific seat or definitely want to sit together. My suggestion is to set up an alert on your phone for like 15 minutes before checkin time, 5 minutes before and right at check in time (for both ways). As long as you checkin right at 24 hours you can normally get a pretty great boarding position. DH and I forgot on our way home in December and ended up as C1 and C2 (I checked in like 2 hours late) and we still got seats together just in the back. So I just find the extra money to not be worth it!

I lol'd at your comment about your planning, its so funny once you get there and you think why the heck did I do this haha but I'm glad you made the best of it!

I feel like a sit down lunch is so underrated in Disney! There's something so relaxing about controlled temp, a comfortable seat and good food!!

I’m really happy I made that decision since we are now breaking records for the snowiest February on record! Yuck.
I am going to check in right at the 24 hour mark and I think it will be fine.
I was telling Andi on one of our last trips how the qs is so stressful now! The places are mobbed and very few seats available and you have to stalk for one!