Early Jan 2011, first trip to the World!!

[20thingamabobs]

Oh, I didn't know Jiminy Cricket was out there. DD LOVES Pinnochio. I hope we find Pinnochio over at Magic Kingdom. If we don't & we aren't too tired & we have time we might go out to Rafiki's Planet Watch just to find Jiminy.

When we were there in June, Jiminy, Rafiki, and Pocahontas were all doing Meet & Greets at Rafiki's Planets Watch. Ther nice thing was, the lines were SOOO short! Jiminy didn't have a line at all, we walked right up. We waited maybe 5 mins to see Rafiki and Pocahontas combined!

Pinnochio has been making appearances in MK in the Town Square by Tony's Town Square and La Chapeau hat store. Linger a little when you enter the park instead of rushing straight to ride because this is when we saw him and the line wasn't too bad.

 

[jerseygirl16]

It's definitely great that you're planning everything out already, because as other posters have stated, the first time in Disney can be absolutely insane. I know too many people that hate it there because the first time they went they either had no plan and were completely lost, or went crazy because they planned every minute of each day and when things didn't go exactly right it was the end of the world. The combination of plan and a go-with-the-flow attitude is all you need. As far as Rafikki's - not really necessary unless your DD LOVES animals and has never been to a zoo. And for ITTBAB - I HATE IT! Then again I have severe arachnaphobia so its only really the spider parts that bother be and I just close my eyes. Most kids don't seem to have a problem.

Keep the plans coming.

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

We keep saying we are going to do chip and Dales singalong but we still havent made it there yet.
thanks for reading my tr too!

Well if everything goes as planned we'll make it to the singalong, but things always go wrong.

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

Hi,
Your trip sounds so great. I have not read all of the comments so forgive me. I have been out of town and then entertaining family. I need a break!

As you are a numbers person I would also take a look at the average food and drink prices of all of your restaurants and figure out the suggested tip that you will need for each meal and for any meals OOP. I would also pre-make some cute tip envelopes and stick whatever tip you usually do in them in advance for mouse keeping. Driving gives you such a great opportunity to stock up on things in advance and cuts way down on park purchases of necessities. You can make an autograph book in advance for way cheaper than buying one in the parks.


Skip rafiki's for sure if you have a zoo membership and your kid isn't totally wild about animals. It takes quite a bit of time.

You are really in a good spot because you have done so much research and put so much thought into it. I usually tell people it is like you have to do Disney once just to be totally and completely confused and overwhelmed and get that out of your system so the next time you go you can really enjoy it. But I think you are going to have a rockin fantastic time the first time.

Yep, did the tip calculation.

I'll have to see about the housekeeping tip envelopes. I think I could do something cute.

I'm gonna have to think about the autograph book. The idea of making one intimidates me a little.

I've been dreaming about a Disney vacation since before we were married. We'll be celebrating our 9 year anniversary on the trip, so I've had some time to think about it. I'm determined to make this a great trip, so DH will want more trips just like it.

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

When we were there in June, Jiminy, Rafiki, and Pocahontas were all doing Meet & Greets at Rafiki's Planets Watch. Ther nice thing was, the lines were SOOO short! Jiminy didn't have a line at all, we walked right up. We waited maybe 5 mins to see Rafiki and Pocahontas combined!

Pinnochio has been making appearances in MK in the Town Square by Tony's Town Square and La Chapeau hat store. Linger a little when you enter the park instead of rushing straight to ride because this is when we saw him and the line wasn't too bad.

Thanks! I'm writing this all down, so I can work it into our final plans.

 

[Queila]

Hi there!
I am signing up! I love everything I read so far.
Congratulations on booking your trip. I have been to WDW in the Winter several times and i LOVE it. It is true you can't enjoy the swimming pool or the water parks but the low crowd level is totally worth it. Our last trip was in May and I was like:"where did all this people came from????".

We are a one park a day type of family too. I prefer to enjoy everything a park has to offer, getting into the theming and all, one park at a time. Plus, I think hoping with a toddler is counter productive. Maximize the time they are awake and in a good mood inside the parks is the way to go instead of wasting time getting in and out different parks.

I am sorry you could not find a reservation for Fantasmic on your DHS day. Have you thought of trying something else? Apparently Prime Time is crowd pleaser.

Anyways, can't wait to read more,
Q

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

It's definitely great that you're planning everything out already, because as other posters have stated, the first time in Disney can be absolutely insane. I know too many people that hate it there because the first time they went they either had no plan and were completely lost, or went crazy because they planned every minute of each day and when things didn't go exactly right it was the end of the world. The combination of plan and a go-with-the-flow attitude is all you need. As far as Rafikki's - not really necessary unless your DD LOVES animals and has never been to a zoo. And for ITTBAB - I HATE IT! Then again I have severe arachnaphobia so its only really the spider parts that bother be and I just close my eyes. Most kids don't seem to have a problem.

Keep the plans coming.

I'm trying not to plan every minute, and I think I'll be flexible once we get there, but I do see the commando in me coming out as I refine the plan.

We did have a bad experience at Disney World when I was a kid. We camped at Ft. Wilderness. I think we'd had so much Disney Land experience that my parents thought they could just wing it at the World. They were so overwhelmed I think they actually cut the trip short by more than a few days. I was an oblivious go with the flow kind of kid so I'm not sure.

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

Hi there!
I am signing up! I love everything I read so far.
Congratulations on booking your trip. I have been to WDW in the Winter several times and i LOVE it. It is true you can't enjoy the swimming pool or the water parks but the low crowd level is totally worth it. Our last trip was in May and I was like:"where did all this people came from????".

We are a one park a day type of family too. I prefer to enjoy everything a park has to offer, getting into the theming and all, one park at a time. Plus, I think hoping with a toddler is counter productive. Maximize the time they are awake and in a good mood inside the parks is the way to go instead of wasting time getting in and out different parks.

I am sorry you could not find a reservation for Fantasmic on your DHS day. Have you thought of trying something else? Apparently Prime Time is crowd pleaser.

Anyways, can't wait to read more,
Q

Thanks taking a look. I'm really enjoying your trip report.

I know we won't be able to do it all, on our first trip, so the water parks & pool aren't too much of a sacrifice when we get the low crowds instead.

I have heard good things about the Prime Time Cafe too. However, I think we're going to forgo all table service on the HS day. We want to see so many shows that I'm afraid it would be difficult to make it to a reservation without missing out on something else.

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

Day 6 – HS

Review of Trip Plans:
Day 1 – Travel all day
Day 2 – Magic Kingdom
Day 3 – Epcot
Day 4 – Animal Kingdom & more
Day 5 – not done yet
Day 6 – Hollywood Studios

I haven’t forgotten about day 5 yet, I’m still ironing out the details. However, I know that day 6 will be Hollywood Studios day. Why do I know this, when I’m still iffy on Day 5? DH says the one thing he wants to do at Disney is Fantasmic. This is the only, not incredibly crowded day Fantasmic is offered, so it’s actually the first day I planned. We’re bummed that we couldn’t get a Fantasmic dining package, but we’ll make due.

Since we couldn’t get the Fantasmic dining package we don’t have any dining reservations for this day. Two reasons for this, none of the sit down restaurants looked that great. Also, I want to be able to grab & go since a lot of the attractions are on show schedules, and I suspect it will be hard to work them all in.

The plan is to arrive 30 minutes prior to rope drop. Of course, we’ll be sprinting with all the other guests for Toy Story Mania.

Already the planning gets a little sketchy. Beauty and the Beast is DH favorite move, and DD states that she loves Ariel (even though she always shuts the TV off when we try to watch the Little Mermaid). The touring plan we picked has us doing Beauty & the Beast at the end of the day. I don’t think I want to leave a show that is so important until the end. We’ll have to play this a little by ear. We’ll pick up the daily entertainment guide, and probably won’t know the exact order of the attractions we go to until we are standing right there. Therefore in no particular order we’ll be going to Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Playhouse Disney and/or Beauty & the Beast.

After we knock those three out, or when the wait times turn against us, we’ll hike across the park to Muppet Vision. DD hasn’t seen any Muppet shows yet (Mommy limiting TV to 2 hours per week is really affecting the Indoctrination process). However, I think she’ll like this because she likes anything with fuzzy puppet like creatures (i.e. Sesame Street).

I’d like to get some playtime on the Honey I Shrunk the Kids set before lunch. I think it’ll be necessary to let DD run around, since most of the morning activities will be seated shows.

Starring Rolls Café is on my hit list of counter service restaurants. DH loves Sushi, and I love dessert, so this is a no brainer. I don’t know if you can use the dining plan for any of their Sushi, but if not we’ll pay out of pocket.

We may or may not take a break back at the hotel after lunch. DD is pretty good without naps, and this is going to be a short day since HS closes at 7pm. Also, since we’ll be waiting in line for Fantasmic, we’ll be limited on the time we have for afternoon activities.

After lunch we’ll hit more shows. If we haven’t seen Beauty & the Beast it will be our priority. Otherwise, Lights Motor Action is next on our list. DD loves cars & motorcycles so I think this will be a hit. I’d like to do the Indian Jones show if we can work it in.

The Studios Backlot Tour & the Great Movie Ride will probably be our last rides of the day if we have time before Fantasmic.

I’m debating about the Tower of Terror. DD will be technically tall enough. I also think she’ll be adventurous enough. However, even if she wants to go I’m not sure we should take her. She’ll only be 3 ½ & that may be a little too young for repeated free falls. We’ll make the call at the end of the day. If she’s begging for it & we’ve got the time, I may consider it, but it isn’t likely.

I’m not sure what time we should line up for Fantasmic. The park isn’t supposed to be very busy this day, but I suspect nearly everyone in Orlando will try to see this Fanasmic show since it’s the only one during the week this week. I think we may try to grab some sandwiches or turkey legs & eat while we are in line.

Ok, and here’s my over planning weirdo confession. I’ve read trip reports where people try to buy counter service food at Hollywood Studios & they hit a huge lack of packaging. You can get stuff on a plate, the food is hard to carry on a plate to another location & there isn’t anything you can get to store your food. I’m planning to bring some empty plastic disposable food containers to Hollywood Studios. That way if we want to by a sandwich or a cupcake & save it for later, we have somewhere to stash it where it won’t get too messed up.

Must Do:
Fantasmic
Toy Story Mania
Beauty and the Beast
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Playhouse Disney
Muppet Vision
Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure
Lights Motor Action

Maybes:
Indiana Jones
Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream
The Magic of Disney Animation
The Great Movie Ride
Studio Backlot Tour
Tower of Terror

Won’t Do:
Star Tours <--It’s closed, I’m really bummed about this one.
Sounds Dangerous
Rock ‘n Roller Coaster
Journey into Narnia
The American Idol Experience

 

[jerseygirl16]

I'm trying not to plan every minute, and I think I'll be flexible once we get there, but I do see the commando in me coming out as I refine the plan.

We did have a bad experience at Disney World when I was a kid. We camped at Ft. Wilderness. I think we'd had so much Disney Land experience that my parents thought they could just wing it at the World. They were so overwhelmed I think they actually cut the trip short by more than a few days. I was an oblivious go with the flow kind of kid so I'm not sure.

I sorry to hear you had a bad experience when you were a kid, but I thinks it's great you're trying again. What's funny is that I get crazy commando sometimes. I think that's why Epcot is my family's favorite park (hence the reason we have two full days planned for our next trip). For us, we really enjoy the world showcase - it's the perfect place to go with the flow. We grab a pretzel here, a pastry there, do some shopping, and generally just enjoy the experience of another country (for now this is the closest any of us are getting to Europe). I especially love the world showcase players and other shows that randomly pop up. And to me Illuminations is everything a fireworks show should be.

However, the relaxed easygoing attitude we have in Epcot tends to get a little lost is MK. There are so many rides there that we go nuts, even having been there a dozen times before I for one sometimes feel this insane need to see and do everything. This is the park where we have to remind ourselves that it's okay if we don't see everything. I remember once as a kid being so angry that we waited an hour and a half in line to see Ariel at Ariel's Grotto (she's my sisters favorite character) instead of waiting for a ride.

 

[lexmas]

SO jealous that your DD will be tall enough for rides. DS is so short. The kicker is that he has REALLY short legs, so from butt to head he is MORE than tall enough. Oh well.

Playhouse disney is a must do. It is SO much fun! She doesn't need to know the characters, even (honestly, I don't think knowing the characters is necessary for anything disney. DD certainly has no idea. Some names are familiar, but not even associated with pictures.) DS was only 11 months the first time we went to Disneyland, so clearly he had never seen any playhouse disney, and he had the BEST time at playhouse disney!

Allears just updated their menu for Studio Catering Company, and it looks so very amazing. I can't wait to eat there!

Strangely, when we went to WDW when I was five, we left a day early, because some other mom shoved me off the carousel and it made my mom really angry!

Oh, and this:

I used to be a list freak, but DD takes all my lists so my list making has dropped off since her birth. In fact, since she came along, I've joined DH in the fly by the seat of our pants club. I miss my list making slightly organized self. She kept the house cleaner & we were on time a little more often, not much though.

made me laugh out loud. I miss being on time. And DS steals my lists, and DD colors on them, always with the same color pen. There's not much else to do than hope for the best!

 

[2princesses2princes]

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. On the disney dining plan spreadsheet front, I came out it that if we ordered those exact items without the plan it would save us a ton, but knowing without the plan we wouldn't be doing dessert and stuff it came out close to even. I am loving knowing how much we are truly saving though after all those calculations, who could pass it up?

My list making has gone down significantly since having kids, but I still do many of them. They just disappear and I have to start all over again, kind of annoying. I am no more organized with them though when it comes down to it. Its something about getting to check things off, it just makes me feel good. I am wierd, I know.

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

I sorry to hear you had a bad experience when you were a kid, but I thinks it's great you're trying again. What's funny is that I get crazy commando sometimes. I think that's why Epcot is my family's favorite park (hence the reason we have two full days planned for our next trip). For us, we really enjoy the world showcase - it's the perfect place to go with the flow. We grab a pretzel here, a pastry there, do some shopping, and generally just enjoy the experience of another country (for now this is the closest any of us are getting to Europe). I especially love the world showcase players and other shows that randomly pop up. And to me Illuminations is everything a fireworks show should be.

However, the relaxed easygoing attitude we have in Epcot tends to get a little lost is MK. There are so many rides there that we go nuts, even having been there a dozen times before I for one sometimes feel this insane need to see and do everything. This is the park where we have to remind ourselves that it's okay if we don't see everything. I remember once as a kid being so angry that we waited an hour and a half in line to see Ariel at Ariel's Grotto (she's my sisters favorite character) instead of waiting for a ride.

This has really made me think. In my planning, I'm trying to make room for two full days in Epcot, but I keep coming back to wanting more MK time. I think it's my list-making commando self coming through. Epcot really is a smell the roses kind of park, where in MK has more attractions I can check off the list to make me feel like we accomplished things. This really has me pondering a few days of the schedule...

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

SO jealous that your DD will be tall enough for rides. DS is so short. The kicker is that he has REALLY short legs, so from butt to head he is MORE than tall enough. Oh well.

Playhouse disney is a must do. It is SO much fun! She doesn't need to know the characters, even (honestly, I don't think knowing the characters is necessary for anything disney. DD certainly has no idea. Some names are familiar, but not even associated with pictures.) DS was only 11 months the first time we went to Disneyland, so clearly he had never seen any playhouse disney, and he had the BEST time at playhouse disney!

Allears just updated their menu for Studio Catering Company, and it looks so very amazing. I can't wait to eat there!

Strangely, when we went to WDW when I was five, we left a day early, because some other mom shoved me off the carousel and it made my mom really angry!

Oh, and this:

I used to be a list freak, but DD takes all my lists so my list making has dropped off since her birth. In fact, since she came along, I've joined DH in the fly by the seat of our pants club. I miss my list making slightly organized self. She kept the house cleaner & we were on time a little more often, not much though.

made me laugh out loud. I miss being on time. And DS steals my lists, and DD colors on them, always with the same color pen. There's not much else to do than hope for the best!

Don't be jealous of the height. It doesn't do much good, when they aren't old enough to really experience the things they qualify for. Oh, and when I carry DD around on my hip, her feet bump into my knees - not fun.

I suspect playhouse disney will be the highlight of our day at HS.

The Studio Catering Company does have a great menu! We may grab something from there to eat in the line for Fantasmic.

Wow, shoving a kid of the carousel. That should get you booted from the park. Hope you weren't hurt too bad. Those are the kinds of things you never forget.

At least your DS should have the courtesy to use a different colored pen. Kids are so worth the trouble. The one regret DH and I have about having DD is that we waited so long.

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. On the disney dining plan spreadsheet front, I came out it that if we ordered those exact items without the plan it would save us a ton, but knowing without the plan we wouldn't be doing dessert and stuff it came out close to even. I am loving knowing how much we are truly saving though after all those calculations, who could pass it up?

My list making has gone down significantly since having kids, but I still do many of them. They just disappear and I have to start all over again, kind of annoying. I am no more organized with them though when it comes down to it. Its something about getting to check things off, it just makes me feel good. I am wierd, I know.

That check mark is one of the most satisfying things in the world. For repeat lists I used to put the list into a clear binder sleeve, then I would check things off with a dry erase marker. Hmm, I think that means I never really liked making the list I just liked checking things off.

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

I need some planning help!!

I have a problem...it's really a bad one.

You see our original plans had us leaving on Friday. That way we could do the driving on Friday & Saturday and DH would have all day on Sunday to relax before jumping back into the routine. Personally, I could come back from vacation the minute before work starts on Monday morning drive to the door at work & leave the vacation bags in the car. However, DH insists on having a full day or more to "recover" from a vacation.

DH said something about this timeline the other day. He said, it's a good thing we're driving back on Friday so YOU'LL have most of the weekend to recover before YOU go back to work. Wait, I'm not the one who wants to recover...then it hit me. His classes don't start back up until the Thursday after we get back.

Well then why in the world are we rushing to get home!?! If we extend our stay by a day the extra hotel expense is minimal. You see, I have an out of pocket character meal scheduled for our original departure day & the extra hotel expense was minimal if you assumed it would save you the price of the character meal.

So I asked DH, can we stay an extra day?? His response, of course if you don't mind not having any time at home before you go back to work...

My response...

Here's the problem...We're picking up a full day. I'd like to do a second full day at Epcot. I'd also like to squeeze in some Down Town Disney time. The last full day we are there Epcot is expected to have a pretty big crowd, 7.8/10 on the Touring Plans schedule. It’s also hosting some of the Marathon running events & Evening Magic Hours. Our departure day will now be a Saturday & I don't really want to spend a Saturday at DTD, I think a week day would be less busy.

The options are:

1. Leave all the other days alone. Make the last full day, a Friday, a mixed Epcot DTD day. Start the morning in Epcot. Spend the afternoon in DTD. Reservations at Cape May Cafe clam bake at 5pm. The downfall of this plan is potential heavy crowds at Epcot. The crowd level is why I would book the clam bake for dinner. It’s in a resort, so if Epcot is mobbed we don’t have to go back in for our dining reservation.

2. Swap the Animal Kingdom & more day (Day 4, Tuesday) for an Epcot day. This would put the Epcot days back to back, not necessarily a bad thing. It would put both Epcot days on crowd level of 3-4 / 10, not bad at all. It would move the Animal Kingdom to a crowd level day of 3/10, from a day that was 1.6/10 - so a little bump up. We could get our Whispering Canyon Cafe meal moved to a 5pm on the new Animal Kingdom day, and we could still try for the Chip & Dale sing-a-long. I'm a little nervous that something will happen & we won't make it the Animal Kingdom at all - or we'll be so exhausted at the end of the trip we won't be able to enjoy the AK park because it takes so much walking.

3. Swap the second Magic Kingdom day (Day 5, Wednesday) for an Epcot day. The second Epcot day is now a crowd level of 5/10, lower than the 7.4. No change in the Magic Kingdom crowd level (2.5/10). The big trouble with this, is our 'Ohana reservation would have to change from a 5pm, on the original schedule to a 6:20pm on the last full day. If we can't talk DD into a nap that day, then sitting still in a restaurant at 6:20pm will be impossible. 'Ohana is the one meal I'm really looking forward to.

I know I’m trying to “have it all”, and I know there are some things we plan to do that we just won’t get to, but I still want to try.

With all three options, I’m holding the Chef Mickey’s breakfast on the new departure day at 11am on a Saturday and we’ll do that regardless. Also, I’m canceling the La Hacienda dinner on the first Epcot day. We already have a Princess lunch at Epcot on our first Epcot day, so no need to double up on sit down meals.

For options 2 & 3 we may still do the Cape May Café clam bake, or we might pick another table service restaurant within Epcot. Since the crowd levels would be lower in Epcot for options 2 & 3 I’m not afraid of going back into the park for dinner.

Is there anything I’m not considering? What would you do? There are just too many good options…

 

[999ghostslover]

My brain doesn't work so great so I don't fully understand all of the nuances but I would do the two Epcot days back to back earlier in the week. The marathon makes everything at DTD and Epcot very busy. Trust me. I've been there that week and it is crazy. Tons of media trucks. Tons and tons of runners.

Either way, yeah to an extra day of Disney!!!

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

My brain doesn't work so great so I don't fully understand all of the nuances but I would do the two Epcot days back to back earlier in the week. The marathon makes everything at DTD and Epcot very busy. Trust me. I've been there that week and it is crazy. Tons of media trucks. Tons and tons of runners.

Either way, yeah to an extra day of Disney!!!

Thanks for the input!! I didn't even think about the media coverage, or the fact that it would spill into DTD. Ha, I was thinking, well if Epcot gets to busy we'll just go over to DTD. Of course, the runners & media would spill over there too...

 

[jerseygirl16]

Hmm...I'd go with option 2 or 3. Epcot back to back is not a bad idea, but missing Animal Kingdom would be a shame. Maybe you should just make sure to take some time to rest during the trip - I've always found Epcot the most relaxing park anyway. And I completely understand your reluctance to jeapordize your Ohana reservation. Only advice I can give is to not let the touring plans crowd levels affect your decisions too much. I know they can give a fairly accurate prediction of what the crowds will be, but you never know. Frankly, unless there is a 5+ point difference between two parks on a given day I wouldn't even consider them. Then again I've been in the parks on the 4th of July so nothing really ever feels as crowded as that, and surprisingly that was manageable.

Now that I think about it, I think #2 is the best option. Oh and congrats on getting an extra day!!!

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

Hmm...I'd go with option 2 or 3. Epcot back to back is not a bad idea, but missing Animal Kingdom would be a shame. Maybe you should just make sure to take some time to rest during the trip - I've always found Epcot the most relaxing park anyway. And I completely understand your reluctance to jeapordize your Ohana reservation. Only advice I can give is to not let the touring plans crowd levels affect your decisions too much. I know they can give a fairly accurate prediction of what the crowds will be, but you never know. Frankly, unless there is a 5+ point difference between two parks on a given day I wouldn't even consider them. Then again I've been in the parks on the 4th of July so nothing really ever feels as crowded as that, and surprisingly that was manageable.

Now that I think about it, I think #2 is the best option. Oh and congrats on getting an extra day!!!

Your right about the touring plan crowd levels. The book states that the time of day you go to an attraction has a much larger impact on your wait time than the crowd level at the park. I suppose as long as we are getting there for rope drop we should be good regardless of what park we go to which day.

Ok, so two votes for option 2. Anyone else have an opinion?