Escaping the Arctic with a Toddler in Tow: A January 2014 PTR!

nimbuscat

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jun 12, 2012
Messages
353
Hi! Although I've been a lurker around here for awhile, I am pretty new to the DISboards, so here goes my first PTR...

The Who:
I am Jimmie, and I am 31 years old and live in North Dakota with my husband, Aaron, and our 2-year-old daughter, Zoey. This will be Zoey's first Disney trip, though she is already a pretty seasoned traveler in her two short years on this planet.

550354_10101215900113317_333152353_n.jpg

Jimmie and Aaron, on our cruise earlier this year.

7970_10101349057180487_1934143077_n.jpg

Zoey, at her Sofia the First-themed second birthday party.

The What:
We are planning on 6-day, non-hopper tickets, with the Deluxe Dining Plan. (Too many TS establishments to try on the standard DDP!)

The When:
We'll be escaping the frigid cold of North Dakota in January, traveling from January 3-10, 2014.

The Where:
We are currently booked in a Little Mermaid room at Art of Animation...though, I'm one of those people who likes to change her mind a hundred times before the vacation is all said and done, so we'll see how things end up.

The Why:
Bear with me, this might get a little long ;) ...
In June 2014, we will be celebrating our 10-year wedding anniversary. I've been telling DH that I want to take a big vacation to celebrate, and we (I) hatched a grand plan of combining a few days at Disney along with a Royal Caribbean cruise (DCL prices just make me want to cry!). We even thought about talking some family members into joining us so that we'd have childcare for Zoey and could have a couple of "date nights" to celebrate our anniversary. Well, as it turns out, Aaron will most likely be spending a considerable amount of time in the Azores in June 2015 for some research his work is involved with. With that being the case, we decided it would be a far more romantic anniversary celebration if we postponed the "big" vacay for a year and I joined him in the Azores and then hit up Portugal/Spain together before coming home. Heck yeah!

So, the big Disney/cruise plans were scrapped. However, the lure of Disney was still calling to us. I'd been to WDW twice before - in 1992 and 1997, and DH had also been a couple of times in his childhood. I snuck in a post-cruise day at Disneyland in 2005, but that has been it. No real Disney to speak of in many years! In other words, we were LONG overdue for a return trip, not to mention, Zoey would be free until her 3rd birthday next March. So, after looking at prices (not the best, as our dates overlap with Marathon Weekend), we decided we could do it if we stayed at a Value Resort. (This was not supposed to be a "big" vacation for us, after all!) :rotfl: And thus begins my planning mania for the next 6 1/2 months!

:wave2: Hi, my name is Jimmie, and I'm obsessed with planning my Disney vacation.

Next post will be tentative ADRs/park plans. I am rapidly approaching the 180-day mark! :cheer2:
 
Park Plans and ADRs, Round 1

Well, if we're being completely honest, it's more like Round 4. I've re-worked and re-worked over the past few days, trying to find a balance between mine and hubby's favorites/choices and what works best with an almost-3-year-old's wishes and schedule needs. And also trying to maximize our use of DxDP! Whew! :crazy2:

So, without further adieu, here is a first (fourth) stab at our trip. PLEASE offer up suggestions and opinions and whatever you've got. Although it's my third time at WDW, it's my first as an adult, and first to have anything planned. We totally winged it back in the 90s, and I know you can't do that anymore...

One more note: If these seem like long days with a toddler, it's because they are. We are so, so, SO fortunate that she handles schedule changes and traveling like this like a champ. That said, we are willing to modify things on the fly, if necessary...toddlers are such wild cards!

Friday, January 3
Fly to Orlando
Arrive just before 10:00 pm (not ideal, but flights are booked, so no turning back there...)
Rent a car, drive to AoA, check in, and sleep!

Saturday, January 4
Breakfast: Landscape of Flavors QS, at our leisure when we get up
Spend the morning/early afternoon at Animal Kingdom
Lunch: Late lunch at Beaches & Cream
Back to resort for nap/downtime
Dinner: Hoop de Doo (8:30 show)

Sunday, January 5
Breakfast: Help! This could be anywhere, as we will have the rental car and headed to Legoland after we eat.
Drive and spend the day at Legoland
Lunch: off-property
Back to hotel for nap/downtime
Dinner: California Grill, scheduled around the Wishes show that night.

Monday, January 6
Breakfast: Landscape of Flavors QS
Spend the day at Hollywood Studios
Lunch: Hollywood Brown Derby Fantasmic package
Probably back to hotel after lunch for nap. Back to DHS for Fantasmic show that evening.
Dinner: Sci-Fi Dine-In (after Fantasmic)

Tuesday, January 7
Breakfast: Cinderella's Royal Table :lovestruc
Spend the day at Magic Kingdom
Lunch: Liberty Tree Tavern OR Be Our Guest QS (depending on which we get for dinner on 1/9)
Probably back to hotel after lunch for nap. Back to MK for the evening.
Dinner: Another help! We prefer TS, but Tony's doesn't sound too appealing. Perhaps a resort dinner?

Wednesday, January 8
Breakfast: Cape May
Park at Beach Club for breakfast, then walk or water taxi over to Epcot for the day.
Lunch: Chefs de France, planned around Remy's 1:40 appearance.
Dinner: Probably Biergarten, though Tutto Italia is also piquing my interest!
IllumniNations after dinner. This will probably be a stroller nap day.

Thursday, January 9
Breakfast: Crystal Palace
Spend the day in MK.
Lunch: Snack credits around MK.
Probably back to hotel for nap/downtime mid-afternoon.
Back to MK for the evening.
Dinner: I'd LOVE Be Our Guest, but good luck, right?? If not, Liberty Tree Tavern.
MSEP and Wishes after dinner.

Friday, January 10
Check out of resort and pack up rental car.
Breakfast: Snack credits at the new Starbucks/Main St Bakery.
Spend the morning in MK, riding our favorites one last time.
Lunch: The Plaza
Head to airport and fly home. :( Return flight is at 6:30 pm.
 
Im on Board! I am a mostly lurker myself and planning a (surprise) trip for Jan (or November if I can do some Disney math!)

Your plans so great so far! :thumbsup2

Can't Wait to hear more!
 














Save Up to 30% on Rooms at Walt Disney World!

Save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels when you stay 5 consecutive nights or longer in late summer and early fall. Plus, enjoy other savings for shorter stays.This offer is valid for stays most nights from August 1 to October 11, 2025.
CLICK HERE













DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest

Back
Top