Disney... Party of Three! - Rescheduled Date TBD (New 9/21 - New PTR Link)

[SimplyGoofy]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who responded with their suggestions and tips for our dining plans!

Our ADR day is TOMORROW. I know this one planning day doesn't make or break the whole trip... but it kind-of does? I know when I tell G that I need to wake up before 5 am he's going to think I've lost my mind.

But, it's okay. You all understand.

Phew! Okay... diving in...

I know... it's a lot! Maybe one of these days I'll scale back my ADRs...

I don't see that day coming soon.

You poor, poor thing!!!!!

Definitely a first-world problem right here.

You... you...…..

"And would madam care for some wine with her meal? Wait... you are not staying with us? GET OUT!!!!"

I swear I really did think that! That's the only explanation I have as to why I didn't step foot in a deluxe resort until my fifth Disney trip!

I've never had breakfast at BOG and at those prices, I never will.
But... I'd crawl over broken glass for that French onion soup...

I know you're not really one for breakfast anyway (with the exception of Tonga Toast), but … a good point about the French onion soup! I've gotten that at all my BOG dinners and would LOVE to have it again!

It's such a tasty meal! I'm not super excited about any of the quick-service options (with the exception of some of the Woody's Lunchbox items), so I think this is inching toward a must-do.

If you do day of... you can mobile order at Satuli. Not sure about Yak & Yeti... but they do have a take out window if you can't get an ADR.

I'm excited to try out the mobile order! I don't believe it existed the last time I visited.

I'm really leaning toward getting the Landry's card. This will allow us to pick our AK meals based on proximity, which would be very nice!

I might suggest showing DH the menu at Akershus and seeing his reaction. Book accordingly.

A very good suggestion. What is far more likely is I'll book both of them and we'll play it by ear.

It depends.
I really enjoyed being able to sit and not be jostled to watch the fireworks.
But is it worth it???

Only your pocketbook knows.

Isn't that the truth?! I think the first dessert party I booked (back in 2013) was around $30. It sure doesn't cost $30 now!

Do they no longer have the seating during the show?

I believe they do have seating at the Tomorrowland Terrace if you choose that party (you eat your dessert during the fireworks rather than before or after them). The downside is your view is off to the side, which may be more of a problem with HEA and its projections.

You're on your own here!

Yes, so many considerations!

I'd do Kona. Tonga toast!!!

We're absolutely eating at Kona earlier in the week and if G loves it I wouldn't hesitate to eat there again. I think I may book another choice just in case... but we'll see!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

It feels like such a higher stress situation. Mom and Anika were along for the ride and were happy with whatever I booked (and often loved my choices!). This time I'm trying to impress G and keep a toddler happy... it's not easy!

This is what we usually look for too.

Great! That makes me feel better about my original instincts.

I have to say that we used to love the lunch at BOG. It was pretty much my favorite QS meal in MK. However the last couple of times it wasn't as great as it was the first few times we went there. We didn't even go there on our trip this summer. That said, I haven't had the breakfast and I think it would be a great place for you to take your family. Getting into Fantasyland before the crowds is certainly worth the cost of admission! You can get a lot done after a nice QS breakfast. So that would be my vote.

That's what I was reading as well and that's really too bad. Most of my meals there have been dinner, but my lunch there in 2016 was excellent. It was fun to eat in the West Wing!

The breakfast is my inclination... but then they released the EMM dates and I'm seriously considering them. Is it worth paying more than double the price of the BOG breakfast in order to get more than an hour in Fantasyland with minimal people? Maybe...

(Argh, so many decisions!)

Tusker House has a good breakfast and great characters. If you plan to see Rivers of Light, you might look into booking that package as well for a reserved seat.

ROL is a low priority (HEA is #1 and Fantasmic is #2 as I think M would enjoy it with Mickey and all the characters), but that is a good idea!

This is hard. My heart and stomach say LeCellier.
But this is a family trip.
Even if she's too young to remember it, I don't think you can not pick Akershus here. Get her in there to see the princesses (and still have an awesome meal). I actually like the breakfast there... they have this potato casserole thing that I pretty much ate my weight in when we went there.

I honestly think I'll still book both... but I agree that Akershus may be the priority for this particular trip. Between the food choices and the princesses (and the fact that M's meal is free) makes it a really good choice for this trip.

This 100%.

The first time I tried the Fantasmic package I was AMAZED with how much easier it was! We were there at a fairly busy time of year and strolled right into the theatre thirty minutes before and into GREAT seats. I was sold!

This is a tough call. I think you know my feelings on Chef Mickey after our last couple of visits, but it is still that iconic, classic character meal and if I was going back with one of our kids on their first trip, I'd still book it. I'd also kind of like to check out Artist Point with the new character meal, but I'm just a big Wilderness Lodge fan so I'd even make a pretty strong argument for Whispering Canyon.

Oooh, I didn't think of WCC! That's a great option!

I think I'm going to book Chef Mickey's for the reasons you mentioned, but I absolutely might switch it out for WCC. That would allow us to see the Wilderness Lodge but have a more low-key meal. (I also worry about M's reaction to the Wicked Queen... she looks scary even to me!)

Well, how about that... you've got some great ideas here. Obviously, I think part of it depends on what you do with that other dinner slot, but these are all 3 very solid breakfasts and I don't think you can go wrong.

I'm leaning toward 1900 Park Fare as the character lineup is awesome and I was surprisingly impressed with our dinner there in 2015... however, I may switch it out for the 'Ohana breakfast if M's love of Stitch continues to grow. I tried that breakfast back in 2012 and thought it was just okay, but if M would love the characters, I'll do it!

I'm like you. I like to book even if I'm 50/50 on actually using the ADR. I can always cancel later as our plans start to take a more solid shape. But that said, I had a lot of really good luck this past summer with changing ADRs late in the game. Even a couple of them the day before we left. And I was looking for ADRs for 5 and 7, and free dining was taking place. I don't know what it was, but while FP was an absolute nightmare, we had no problems getting or changing ADRs late in the game. So even if you don't get what you want to start with, or see the need to change something later, it might not be nearly as bad as it was the last time you planned a trip. Or maybe I just got really lucky this year. Who knows.

It's honestly difficult to plan the meals before you know the whole picture, but I'll do the best I can and adapt later if I need to!

 

[pkondz]

Maybe one of these days I'll scale back my ADRs...

I don't see that day coming soon.

There it is.

Definitely a first-world problem right here.

I swear I really did think that! That's the only explanation I have as to why I didn't step foot in a deluxe resort until my fifth Disney trip!

I know you're not really one for breakfast anyway (with the exception of Tonga Toast), but … a good point about the French onion soup! I've gotten that at all my BOG dinners and would LOVE to have it again!

I do like breakfast. Maybe I don’t do many at Disney... but those prices are ridiculous!

I'm really leaning toward getting the Landry's card. This will allow us to pick our AK meals based on proximity, which would be very nice!

Agreed!

A very good suggestion. What is far more likely is I'll book both of them and we'll play it by ear.

That works

Isn't that the truth?! I think the first dessert party I booked (back in 2013) was around $30. It sure doesn't cost $30 now!

Just slightly more.

I believe they do have seating at the Tomorrowland Terrace if you choose that party (you eat your dessert during the fireworks rather than before or after them). The downside is your view is off to the side, which may be more of a problem with HEA and its projections.

The projections are definitely a problem there. And seeing the fireworks off to the side... not great.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I'm definitely not one of the expert foodies here on the boards, so I'm not the best person to offer advice. But I'll give it my best shot.

Even if you don't consider yourself an expert foodie, you ARE an expert on touring Disney with kids! So, I'll take any advice you have!

Mornings at the MK are really busy now. There's definitely no "first hour after rope drop" lull. So if you want to get into Fantasyland early and don't want to pay for the Extra Morning Magic, then BOG might be the way to go.

I'm rather sad about this, but I agree with you. I'm either going to book BOG PPO breakfast or completely lose my mind and book EMM. At least for both options M would be free?

Of all the DHS restaurants, 50's is probably the best with young kids. It's familiar food and the tv screens usually distract them.

Thank you for the endorsement on 50's PT! I wasn't even thinking about the TV screens, but that will certainly help! (Plus, it's not dark like Sci-Fi, which may be tough with a toddler.)

It seems like the way to go with Yak and Yeti is to get a Landry's card. People have been getting a table instantly with that card.

That seems to be the consensus. I think I'll plan to go that route instead of getting an ADR!

Are you wanting to meet a lot of characters this trip? If so, Akershurs would knock off a lot of princesses off the list.

I love the characters (G likely doesn't), but I'm up for meeting lots of them if M is interested. It would certainly cut down on waiting in lines if we knocked out multiple princesses with one meal! (Plus, this meal costs much less than CRT!)

As far as the restaurants you are definitely going to book, they're all great choices! Via Napoli and Crystal Palace are musts.

Thank you! Via Napoli and Crystal Palace are definitely musts for us - they've become tradition!

Adorable picture! I've never done breakfast here but the food sounds yummy

Thanks! I'm a huge fan of this breakfast. The characters are great and the food is delicious!

This is one of our favorite breakfasts! Food is great and character interaction is always fun!

That's great to know! It will be new to us, but with all the rave reviews (including yours!) it seems like it will be a winner! The character lineup is awesome - I've always had fun with Chip and Dale, and Mickey and Pluto are always great!

The LTT lunch is one of my favorite Disney lunches. It's always tasty and the staff is always so nice. It's a great break in the MK!

YES! I also want to say as far as the signatures go: when we have earlier ADR's right around opening time the meals do not take long at all. We have been in and out in 90 minutes or less at Citricos Tiffins Narcoosse's and Jiko so doing them with a toddler probably won't be bad We do always see lots of kids at Narcoossee's (and Tiffins too FYI) so it's a good option all around.

That's good to know! I think we can also move it along if we stick with two courses instead of three. I've certainly seen kids at the signatures (especially at CG) and since M tends to be pretty good at restaurants I'm not too concerned. I just don't want to ruin anyone's fancy dinner experience!

I definitely say get the Landry's card! After listening to people talk about it here for a few years we finally got one and love it, so nice to decide last minute we want to eat here (Rainforest and T-Rex too fyi) and get seated right away. Last year at Rainforest during Thanksgiving they were seating so far behind; we were seated in less than 10 minutes with the card. On my work trip 2 weeks ago my friend and I planned to eat at Yak and Yeti but had no ADR since I have the card. Well, it was POURING. I mean torrential rain, as we made our way to AK and back to Y&Y where the waiting area was PACKED with soaking wet people looking to eat there that had no ADR. I showed the card and we were seated in 5 Very worth it with a toddler who may alter your plans last minute lol!

Wow, you've sold me on the Landry's card! It seems like a win all-around.

If I could love this sentence 1000x I would

I knew you'd understand my thoughts on Artist Point. I know it's more busy now (which is what Disney was aiming for, I'm sure), but I'll miss the original charm of the restaurant. My husband would've loved it!

We are doing the lunch here because I liked the lunch menu and cupcake options. Though I have read that some bring a Ziploc bag to save their breakfast pastries for later in the day.

Thanks for joining in to the report and thanks for your dining thoughts!

If we decide to do EMM we'll bypass this for breakfast and definitely schedule BOG for lunch. Even if it's not as great as it used to be, the castle is awesome and the cupcakes should still be great!

We booked this just for the Fantasmic package. Ah, who am I kidding? DH really loves Italian food and wanted his pasta!

That's great to know! I've read great recent reviews so I'm sure we'll both love it!

We are doing Chef Mickey's just for the Fab Five! The childhood years go by so fast and we know we have lots of time to eat at more grown-up places when DD is older. So that would be my vote.

I think you're right... and I think that's what I'm going to book!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

There it is.

I do like breakfast. Maybe I don’t do many at Disney... but those prices are ridiculous!

Those prices are less the breakfast and more about getting into BOG (and for the PPO breakfasts, getting into Fantasyland before the crowds rush in). They also charge that crazy amount because people are willing to pay it!

Just slightly more.

Yeah. Just "slightly" more than doubled.

The projections are definitely a problem there. And seeing the fireworks off to the side... not great.

I think if I'd seen it before I wouldn't be as bothered by the off-centered version (I certainly wasn't with Wishes). Since it will be our first time, however, I'm leaning toward the early dessert party with the garden view for the fireworks. We'll see what's available!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Dining Reservations – Check!
a.k.a. Thank Goodness That’s Over!

I was up a bit early this morning…

What us crazy Disney people won’t do for our Disney trips.

I’ve been working on our daily schedule for the past month. I had us in the parks every day, but included one sleep-in/pool day halfway through the trip to coincide with our viewing of Happily Ever After the night before. Then Disney released their After Hours events… and scheduled the Villains After Hours the night we were going to go to the dessert party and see the Magic Kingdom Fireworks.

I’d LOVE to have a night out by myself at After Hours. The Villains component is a bonus, but the regular MK After Hours is on our arrival day and I knew that would be a tough go. I haven’t convinced my husband about each of us having a night to ourselves… but just in case, I wanted to make sure it fit into our plans! Grant will be able to enjoy the AK After Hours or either the Epcot or Magic Kingdom Extra Magic Hours if he decides to take advantage of a night to himself.

With that in mind, I redid the schedule. Then I redid it again late yesterday afternoon by completely switching around plans… and I LOVE what we ended up with! This starts us in Epcot (my traditional first park) and gets us into all four parks within the first two days. My original plan didn’t get us into Magic Kingdom until day four… and that would’ve been pretty tough considering we’ll be looking right at it at the Polynesian!

I made one rookie mistake this morning. I didn’t update my credit card information on my profile before the dining window opened, and OF COURSE I had multiple IT issues with the system not recognizing my card. I updated the card and then started making ADRs on the app on my phone as the website was NOT being cooperative for the first TWENTY MINUTES. The IT issues is what led us to having a Tusker House PPO reservation at 8:20 instead of the 8:05 slot that I’d originally clicked on first thing this morning. I was really annoyed, but as most PPO breakfasts tend to admit you in the order you check in I think we’ll be fine.

Overall, I got everything I wanted and at pretty decent times, too!

Monday, May 18th
Dinner – Via Napoli, 6:15pm

Tuesday, May 19th
Breakfast – Tusker House, 8:20am
Dinner – ‘Ohana, 5:15pm

Wednesday, May 20th
Lunch – 50’s Prime Time, 12:10pm
Dinner – Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, 5:35pm

Thursday, May 21st
Breakfast – Be Our Guest, 8:15am
Lunch – Liberty Tree Tavern, 12:05pm
Dinner – Narcoossee’s, 5:15pm
Evening – Fireworks Dessert Party with Plaza Garden Viewing, 7:30pm

Friday, May 22nd
Breakfast – Kona Café, 9:00am

Saturday, May 23rd
Breakfast – Garden Grill, 8:00am
Lunch – Le Cellier, 12:30pm
Dinner – Mama Melrose Fantasmic Package, 5:50pm

Sunday, May 24th
Breakfast – Crystal Palace, 8:05am
Lunch – Be Our Guest, 12:00pm
Dinner – Chef Mickey’s, 5:30pm

Monday, May 25th
Breakfast – 1900 Park Fare, 8:05am

I grabbed the Be Our Guest breakfast just in case, but I’m about 75% certain I’m going to drop it and sign up for Early Morning Magic instead. Knocking out all the Fantasyland headliners and being poised and ready to go in Tomorrowland at park opening would be excellent! I didn’t initially realize that this EMM also included breakfast at Cosmic Ray’s, so that should work out well.

I’m not thrilled with the time on the Le Cellier reservation. It must not open until 12:30 as that’s the earliest reservation I could find – I doubt many ADRs have already been booked there on day six of our trip. We may need to drop it if it would screw up nap time and our evening plans, but as that would allow us lunch at the Flower and Garden booths, it would be sad but still fun.

I hope I picked the right dessert party. I decided on the Plaza Garden Viewing rather than the later reservation at Tomorrowland Terrace in order to get a straight-on view of the castle. We don’t really need the desserts with our dinner reservation at Narcoossee’s, but I fully recognize I’m paying a ridiculous price in order to get the reserved spot. The desserts are a bonus!

I went with Chef Mickey’s for our final dinner. Thank you for your feedback! I agree that this is a great character meal for young kids even if the food is so-so. If she seems scared of or unimpressed by the characters, I’ll probably switch this out for Whispering Canyon Café to get us to the Wilderness Lodge. Our final breakfast is planned for 1900 Park Fare – it has tasty food (based on my dinner experience) and a great lineup of characters. Although it wasn’t my favorite meal, I may swap this out for the ‘Ohana breakfast as M seems to have taken a liking to Stitch. We’ll see!

Whew! I’m glad the excitement (and stress!) of ADR booking day is out of the way! I may tinker a bit with some of the times as we get closer to the trip and have a better handle on M’s schedule, but most of our reservations should stick until we arrive. Once we’re there, we’ll see what happens!

Thanks again for any help or feedback you provided – I really appreciated it!

 

[pkondz]

I was up a bit early this morning…

I haven’t convinced my husband about each of us having a night to ourselves…

Do you think he’d go for it? I know I would, but DW would not.

Then I redid it again late yesterday afternoon by completely switching around plans… and I LOVE what we ended up with!

Great!

The IT issues is what led us to having a Tusker House PPO reservation at 8:20 instead of the 8:05 slot that I’d originally clicked on first thing this morning. I was really annoyed, but as most PPO breakfasts tend to admit you in the order you check in I think we’ll be fine.

Annoying but... hopefully it’ll work out.

 

[Wosmama6]

following along! taking our DS in March. She'll be 18mo and I'm nervous!!

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like you made some great reservations!! So exciting!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I realize I don't HAVE to get up and make reservations when the window opens (my husband sure wouldn't!), but it just makes me feel like I made all possible efforts to get what we wanted. If it doesn't work out there's nothing more I could've done.

Also, some part of me enjoys getting up at such an insanely early hour to book our ADRs! It's become a Disney trip tradition!

Do you think he’d go for it? I know I would, but DW would not.

Unsure. When I first mentioned it at the beginning of the trip planning, he balked and reminded me this is a "family" trip.

While I certainly understand that, our evenings out would be when M is sleeping, so all we'd be missing out on with "family time" is some quiet talking between the two of us (and likely a bit of sleep). Also, I think of our trip to Glacier National Park when G spent a morning kayaking - he was able to enjoy something he loves while on vacation and I'd love a similar opportunity to spend some time doing something I'd love. I would prefer to attend the AH event with G, but as that's not currently an option two separate nights of enjoying the height-restriction headliners seems like the best plan!

Great!

It's amazing when you let go of your original plan and then everything just seems to fall into place.

Just be like Elsa!

Annoying but... hopefully it’ll work out.

Not to worry, it already did! I happened to look again yesterday mid-morning... and grabbed an 8:05 slot at Tusker House! I know it probably doesn't actually make a difference, but it made me feel better.

Now to find an earlier reservation for Le Cellier...

following along! taking our DS in March. She'll be 18mo and I'm nervous!!

Deb! Thanks so much for joining in!

I feel you on the nervousness of bringing a toddler to Disney World! I know many people do it and we've certainly done other traveling with M... but Disney seems like an entirely different beast! It will be interesting to travel with a stroller, special drinking cups, diapers, and snacks. Even with all the extra considerations, I'm pretty darn excited about it!

Sounds like you made some great reservations!! So exciting!

Thank you! I've been fortunate to have good luck in getting the ADRs I've wanted. I'm glad that trend continued for this trip!

 

[buzzrelly]

Everything looks great! Now nothing to do except tinker until FP day!

I’d LOVE to have a night out by myself at After Hours. The Villains component is a bonus, but the regular MK After Hours is on our arrival day and I knew that would be a tough go. I haven’t convinced my husband about each of us having a night to ourselves… but just in case, I wanted to make sure it fit into our plans! Grant will be able to enjoy the AK After Hours or either the Epcot or Magic Kingdom Extra Magic Hours if he decides to take advantage of a night to himself.

That sounds like a good plan. One of my favorite memories was in 2006 (so my kids were 4 & 2), I went back to the MK by myself to watch Wishes. Since it was just me, I was able to work myself right up in front of the castle to watch. If they had offered AH back then, I for sure would have taken advantage of it

The IT issues is what led us to having a Tusker House PPO reservation at 8:20 instead of the 8:05 slot that I’d originally clicked on first thing this morning. I was really annoyed, but as most PPO breakfasts tend to admit you in the order you check in I think we’ll be fine.

I agree that you'll be fine. They don't really care about the times as long as you have the ADR within that hour. TH is my favorite breakfast, but we tend to always make the reservation for around 10:30 and use it as a brunch. Then we hit up a bunch of rides at RD and leisurely make our way over there.

 

[pkondz]

I realize I don't HAVE to get up and make reservations when the window opens (my husband sure wouldn't!), but it just makes me feel like I made all possible efforts to get what we wanted.

I get that. I certainly do it for FPs.

Also, some part of me enjoys getting up at such an insanely early hour to book our ADRs! It's become a Disney trip tradition!

Unsure. When I first mentioned it at the beginning of the trip planning, he balked and reminded me this is a "family" trip.

Hmm... yesssss… I do get that, but...

While I certainly understand that, our evenings out would be when M is sleeping, so all we'd be missing out on with "family time" is some quiet talking between the two of us (and likely a bit of sleep). Also, I think of our trip to Glacier National Park when G spent a morning kayaking - he was able to enjoy something he loves while on vacation and I'd love a similar opportunity to spend some time doing something I'd love.

...hmmm... I guess it depends on how your DH will react to that. Men are stupid. Trust me. I know this. Only you know if he'll say "Hey! You're right! Go have fun, honey!" or if it will go the opposite direction...

I would prefer to attend the AH event with G, but as that's not currently an option two separate nights of enjoying the height-restriction headliners seems like the best plan!

It's amazing when you let go of your original plan and then everything just seems to fall into place.

Just be like Elsa!

Not to worry, it already did! I happened to look again yesterday mid-morning... and grabbed an 8:05 slot at Tusker House! I know it probably doesn't actually make a difference, but it made me feel better.

Great! One down...

Now to find an earlier reservation for Le Cellier...

...one to go!

 

[cindianne320]

Love reservation days! It looks like you got a nice variety of restaurants- I hope it all works out the way you want it to!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Wow I fell behind and you did so much planning!

Congrats on getting the Poly booked! We loved staying in the DVC studio there- the two bathrooms really are great! The DVC rental store is where we rented from this time and I agree, it was a great experience. We rented from David's in the past and I have nothing bad to say about them but I feel like the DVC rental store was more hands on.

Flight prices are crazy these days- it drives me nuts. Southwest was always our go-to but they no longer offer direct flights from our airports and now they're much more expensive. More recently, Jetblue became our go-to but now I see they changed their flight booking categories so the cheapest is a "basic fare" and you can't pick your seat and you board last. What the heck?! It's bad enough you pay so much for flights but it seems like each time, it includes less in the fare price.

100% support getting the Landry's card. Yak and Yeti is one of our must-dos each trip and the card is fantastic. We've never waited more than 5 minutes to be sat and it's so nice to be able to eat when we're hungry and not be tied to an ADR time. With M, I think this will be even more valuable to you!

 

[ashw100]

I’m so happy you got all the ADRs you wanted. Looks like some really good choices!

 

[amazingact21]

Glad you were successful with your ADRs! Ugh, I forget about the credit card updating every time, too.

It must not open until 12:30 as that’s the earliest reservation I could find –

Yep. Le Cellier doesn't open until 12:30

I decided on the Plaza Garden Viewing rather than the later reservation at Tomorrowland Terrace in order to get a straight-on view of the castle.

The garden viewing is definitely the right choice. And if you bring a bag or a box, you can take some of the desserts back with you and eat them at a later time. (Since you might be full from dinner.)


Overall, your plans look great. You guys are getting a lot of awesome meals at nice times.
Curious to see what you end up with in terms of BOG breakfast or EMM....

The Villains After Hours party is so fun, and I'm sure you'd be able to knock out a ton of attractions while solo. Just remember, traveling with kids can be exhausting so be sure to plan it around plenty of rest!

 

[ariane37]

Yay, success! I agree with possibly changing to dinner at the WL if "M" isn't loving the characters-any excuse to go to the WLis a good one!

And Narcoossee's Of course I can't eat there without getting the almond crusted cheesecake but you have the dessert party decisions, decisions.........

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Everything looks great! Now nothing to do except tinker until FP day!

It's so funny that there's SO MUCH to do at first (Reserve the resort! Buy the airfare! Plan your park days! Book your ADR's!) and then... nothing for months.

That sounds like a good plan. One of my favorite memories was in 2006 (so my kids were 4 & 2), I went back to the MK by myself to watch Wishes. Since it was just me, I was able to work myself right up in front of the castle to watch. If they had offered AH back then, I for sure would have taken advantage of it

I loved watching Wishes solo in 2016! It really is nice when you can get a great spot pretty easily by yourself.

I think I'll be able to convince Grant that a night out for each of us would be fun (or if he's disinterested, that I'll be able to get the night out for myself). I think it would be a really great addition to the trip for me!

I agree that you'll be fine. They don't really care about the times as long as you have the ADR within that hour. TH is my favorite breakfast, but we tend to always make the reservation for around 10:30 and use it as a brunch. Then we hit up a bunch of rides at RD and leisurely make our way over there.

I know it likely didn't matter at all... but I absolutely kept looking and managed to move that Tusker House ADR to 8:05am. It just makes me feel better having that early slot! (And darn it, that's the slot I should've had in the first place!)

I get that. I certainly do it for FPs.

I think many of us on these boards do! We're not Disney nuts for nothing!

A strange tradition, certainly (and most good traditions don't involve stress!), but there is a part of me that really looks forward to and enjoys my early morning of booking Disney ADRs!

Hmm... yesssss… I do get that, but...

...hmmm... I guess it depends on how your DH will react to that. Men are stupid. Trust me. I know this. Only you know if he'll say "Hey! You're right! Go have fun, honey!" or if it will go the opposite direction...

I think the odds are around 70/30 that he'll go for a night out for each of us (or at least a night out for me). We'll have tons of family time during the week so I think it will bother him less than he thinks. Also, I intend to send him to Fort Wilderness to kayak at least once (it will work well during M's afternoon naps), so I think it will all balance out even if he doesn't want a night out himself.

Really, AH with Grant would've been SO much fun! I wish we would've known each other sooner so we could've had a few adult-only trips under our belt before bringing M... but it is what it is, so we'll make the best of it! It will be a pretty magical trip with M, too!

Disney movies are chock-full of good advice!

Great! One down...

...one to go!

And the stalking continues! I can't get anything to show up before 12:30 on that date despite multiple attempts. The Disney website says the restaurant opens at 11:00 for lunch and I can find earlier slots when I searched random days in March and April... so, we'll see!

Love reservation days! It looks like you got a nice variety of restaurants- I hope it all works out the way you want it to!

Obviously, me too! There are few things that will get me to joyfully leap out of bed before 5am - and Disney ADR day is definitely one of them!

Yes, I was pleased that everything worked out so well! I know there are occasional snafus, but I've never had a problem booking everything I wanted at the 180-day mark. I sometimes rebook a restaurant to get a better time, but it usually works out okay. I know our plans may need to shift based on M's schedule or as our trip progresses... but I'm glad we have such a great lineup to start with!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Wow I fell behind and you did so much planning!

You fell behind for a great reason - I'd take 17 days in Disney over being caught up on the boards any day!

Congrats on getting the Poly booked! We loved staying in the DVC studio there- the two bathrooms really are great! The DVC rental store is where we rented from this time and I agree, it was a great experience. We rented from David's in the past and I have nothing bad to say about them but I feel like the DVC rental store was more hands on.

Thank you! We're SO excited (well, I am at least!) and I think that location will be great!

I've been nothing but super impressed by the DVC Rental Store. I'm sure David's is great, too, but I've received so much communication from the DVC Rental Store and they seem so friendly and on top of things. My travel advisor even sent me a reminder about booking reservations a few days about ADR day! I need to remember to write a glowing review about them once my trip is over.

Flight prices are crazy these days- it drives me nuts. Southwest was always our go-to but they no longer offer direct flights from our airports and now they're much more expensive. More recently, Jetblue became our go-to but now I see they changed their flight booking categories so the cheapest is a "basic fare" and you can't pick your seat and you board last. What the heck?! It's bad enough you pay so much for flights but it seems like each time, it includes less in the fare price.

It is absolutely nuts! I wish I could get a direct flight to Florida from our airport, but our only option is on a smaller airline and they don't even fly into MCO (they fly into Sanford). The whole "basic fare" thing seems to be a new trend with multiple airlines (Delta, American, etc.) and I agree that's it's super annoying to not be able to pick your seat or end up with what's left over. I would've been more open to this trend if I was still flying by myself or just flying with G - but traveling with a toddler? No thank you, please give me an assigned seat! Flying shouldn't be this difficult!

100% support getting the Landry's card. Yak and Yeti is one of our must-dos each trip and the card is fantastic. We've never waited more than 5 minutes to be sat and it's so nice to be able to eat when we're hungry and not be tied to an ADR time. With M, I think this will be even more valuable to you!

That's my plan! @ariane37 said the same thing as you - it seems silly to make the ADR when I have such an easy alternative! This will be great as we can decide to eat at either Yak and Yeti or Satu'li Canteen for our AK meals depending on where we are. It will be nice!

I’m so happy you got all the ADRs you wanted. Looks like some really good choices!

Thank you! I was relived that everything went so well. I hope all of these choices will work well with our toddler, but I'm pretty optimistic that they will!

Glad you were successful with your ADRs! Ugh, I forget about the credit card updating every time, too.

Thank you!

Thank goodness - I thought I was the only Disney veteran that would make that mistake! I should really give myself a break as I haven't been there in four years... but seriously, how could I not remember that?!

Yep. Le Cellier doesn't open until 12:30

I've seen other reports that state that (and my reservation searching seems to show the same)... but the Disney website says it opens at 11:00 for lunch? I figure I'll keep looking just in case and we'll drop the reservation if we have to.

The garden viewing is definitely the right choice. And if you bring a bag or a box, you can take some of the desserts back with you and eat them at a later time. (Since you might be full from dinner.)

Thank you, thank you for confirming this for me! I was unsure which reservation to choose - the last time I went to a dessert party there was only one choice!

Thanks also for the great tip about bringing a bag or box along with us! That should be very easy to do with having the stroller with us! Extra desserts are always good (and since our dessert party is in the middle of our trip, we may actually have a chance to eat them!).

Overall, your plans look great. You guys are getting a lot of awesome meals at nice times.
Curious to see what you end up with in terms of BOG breakfast or EMM....

If EMM wasn't so expensive I would've already booked it.

I'm asking for some Disney gift cards for Christmas, so I may end up using them to book EMM. It would be great to knock out so many Fantasyland rides with short lines and it would set us up well to go to Tomorrowland right at park opening. We'll see!

The Villains After Hours party is so fun, and I'm sure you'd be able to knock out a ton of attractions while solo. Just remember, traveling with kids can be exhausting so be sure to plan it around plenty of rest!

That's a very good reminder! The good news is M still takes a good afternoon nap (and I don't see that going away anytime soon), so I can plan to nap along with her the day of AH and the day after. She is my self-imposed rest reminder - and that will be good for my go-go-go personality!

Yay, success! I agree with possibly changing to dinner at the WL if "M" isn't loving the characters-any excuse to go to the WLis a good one!

Thank you! I was pretty excited with how it all turned out.

I completely agree - I'm a bit sad that our current plans don't include the WL but that may change as we get closer to the trip.

And Narcoossee's Of course I can't eat there without getting the almond crusted cheesecake but you have the dessert party decisions, decisions.........

Don't worry - there's no way I can go to Narcoossee's and not get dessert! In pretty much every circumstance I'm happy to eat less dinner in order to get more dessert!

Plus, as @amazingact21 reminded me, we can bring a to-go bag to the dessert party and bring some of the dessert party back to the room with us! I figure it's a win-win!

 

[pkondz]

I think the odds are around 70/30 that he'll go for a night out for each of us (or at least a night out for me). We'll have tons of family time during the week so I think it will bother him less than he thinks. Also, I intend to send him to Fort Wilderness to kayak at least once (it will work well during M's afternoon naps), so I think it will all balance out even if he doesn't want a night out himself.

Nice preemptive strike there.

Disney movies are chock-full of good advice!

And the stalking continues! I can't get anything to show up before 12:30 on that date despite multiple attempts. The Disney website says the restaurant opens at 11:00 for lunch and I can find earlier slots when I searched random days in March and April... so, we'll see!

Good luck!