First timer planning 1/27-2/6 WDW trip, plans inside.

[Faithful Raider]

Woke up at 3:11am last night to my ADR finder text. I was so out of it that I couldn't immediately focus so I just clicked the link, my phone struggled with my fingerprint to log into MDE, and then the page was just blank. I give up on any hopes of going back to sleep, and get up and jump on my PC. As I'm scrolling through 2/1 (when I have an alert set for Sci-Fi), I don't notice Sci-Fi at all. Figuring I'm too late I get ready to go back to bed, when my eye catches the words "Space 220" where I'm looking for Sci-Fi. In an instant I realized I goofed - my alert wasn't for Sci-Fi at all!! Space 220 Lounge finally dropped! So I switch over to 2/2 (our EPCOT day in Feb) and quickly try to find a spot that would work for us that day. Problem is, we already have Topolino's breakfast, San Angel Inn for Lunch, Teppen Edo for mid-afternoon as a backup (this is #1 must do for DD15 so had to have a second option in case 1/30 falls through), and Coral Reef for dinner (another must do). Ugh!! Well as I watch times disappear right in front of my eyes, I grab an 11:30am time and drop our San Angel Inn, which was already in danger of being cut anyway. I later modified that to 11:50am just to give us a little more flexibility in case breakfast runs a little behind. I figured we can always just walk inside the pyramid anyway, and ADR's for San Angel aren't tough to get if we decide somehow we really want it. Also the location near the front of the park means we won't be halfway across world showcase then backtrack to the front, then walk all the way back to resume. I decided to stay up for a while and see if I could score a Sci-Fi time from someone possibly cancelling theirs for a space 220 lounge, but no luck.

After having a tough time falling back asleep, DW wakes me at 7am with shouts of "OMG space 220 lounge came up last night!" She had 3 notifications on her phone. I rolled over and mumbled something about getting our reservation already and went back to sleep. Woke up a few hours later and spent some time watching vlogs, reviewing the FARTS menus, and talked a little with DW about plans. She knows we gotta cut some ADR's but is still hesitant, but we're gonna work on it today. Also, I discussed with her reports I've read about how slow table service restaurants has been (understandable with the crowds) and told her we might spend 7-8 hours just sitting in restaurants that day, and not be able to do much of the festival. So we are thinking of using 2/4 or 2/5 as an extra EPCOT day. I don't think I may end up being able to devote an entire day to drinking around the world though, and may have to break it up into several days (which kinda sucks, I wanted the challenge). The TP planner I've used to plan that day says I still can do it - I might have to modify it a little. Would mean ditching doing the aquariums when we do Coral Reef, and probably have cheat by zipping over to Canada in my EVS and grabbing a drink from there, chug it, grab a drink from UK, bring it back with me to World Discovery where the fam is waiting. Then after Space 220, start in Mexico and end in France. Again, not ideal for my plan. And of course, this is a day where we aren't planning to go back to the hotel, so I'm worried it's just gonna be disaster. The other solution is that I'm trying to talk DW into a Festival Only day. No ADR's, time for a mid-day break if needed, and minimal rides (maybe just Remy). Just everything FARTS. We do have time our last few days to do this. I'm just a little worried about keeping the kids' attention for a 3rd EPCOT day when by this point they've seen and done everything except the festival stuff.

At this point, here's my "dream scenario":

1/27 - 6:40p Topolino's Terrace (probably will be TREX though)
1/28 - AK/MK: 10a Tusker House*, 4:45p Be Our Guest*
1/29 - MK: 11a Cinderella's Royal Table*, 9p Bull & Bear
1/30 - EP/HS: 9a Homecomin', 12:40p Teppen Edo, 6:50p H&V* (Minnie) - then home after dinner
1/31 - MK/MK: 11:50a Chef Mickey's*, 7:05p Artist Point Story Book*
2/1 - HS/HS: 8:55a H&V* (DisJr) and hope I can get Sci-Fi today
2/2 - EP/EP: 8:45a Topolino's* Character Breakfast, 11:50a Space 220 Lounge, 5:45p Coral Reef
2/3 - AK/AK: 6:30p Boathouse (wife wants to ditch Boma breakfast, I'd be ok with it)
2/4 - EP/EP: festival day + Drinking Around the World (not sure if I like it on a Friday though b/c crowds)
2/5 - MK/MK: 6:10p Liberty Tree Tavern and farewell fireworks at MK.

This plan give us 1.5 AK, 3 MK, 1.5 HS, and 2.5 EP days. I think I like that ratio. It also keeps us to 1-2 ADR's a day, with exceptions on 1/30 and 2/2 where we have breakfast offsite prior to park opening (both EPCOT days), and Space 220 Lounge really isn't for a big meal. Also lets us keep all our character dining. So unless something major drops in our lap, I'm kinda thinking that's gonna be our plan.

ADR Wish List (remaining)
1) Topolino's Breakfast
2) Space 220 Lounge
3) Sci-Fi for 2/1
4) Slot in Wine Bar George somewhere
5) Finalize park day plans (esp 1/30, 2/4, 2/5)

 

[HooperSnag]

We're only doing Arts Festival food booths on one of the Epcot days. Everyone can have the food they want and drinks are readily available!
BTW, love FARTS; somewhere a frustrated Disney marketer is reading this and screaming "I TOLD YOU SO" at his screen.

 

[Faithful Raider]

2 weeks to go for us. Had that talk with DW about our plans. Haven't dropped any ADR's yet but we both agreed we have too many. Right now our plan looks a lot like I was imagining a few days ago.

1/27 - TREX (gonna try the walk up, DW is dead set on this one)
1/28 - AK/MK: 10a Tusker House*, 4:45p Be Our Guest*
1/29 - MK: 11a Cinderella's Royal Table*, 9p Bull & Bear
1/30 - EP/HS: 9a Homecomin', 12:40p Teppen Edo, 6:50p H&V* (Minnie) - then home after dinner
1/31 - MK/MK: 11:50a Chef Mickey's*, 7:05p Artist Point Story Book*
2/1 - HS/HS: 8:55a H&V* (DisJr) and hope I can get Sci-Fi today
2/2 - EP/EP: 8:45a Topolino's* Character Breakfast, 11:50a Space 220 Lounge, 5:45p Coral Reef
2/3 - AK/AK: 8:05a Boma, 6:30p Boathouse
2/4 - EP/EP: festival day + Drinking Around the World (not sure if I like it on a Friday though b/c crowds)
2/5 - MK/MK: 6:10p Liberty Tree Tavern and farewell fireworks at MK.

Not gonna lie, omicron has been on my mind. We have tickets for Hamilton for DD15 (her Christmas present), and found out yesterday that because of an outbreak among the cast and crew, our show has been "postponed". DD15 is not happy of course, and her main worry is that they will reschedule it for dates when we are in Florida. Looking at their tour schedule, I'm thinking it'll either be straight up cancelled, or rescheduled sometime way down the road. Regardless, it sucks. We still haven't peaked in our area and probably won't for the next few weeks. Also, we have no snow in the forecast (kinda odd for Utah in late January) which has me worried that it'll decide to change the day of our flight. Weather delays + covid peaking could be a disaster for our travel plans, and while there isn't anything I can do, it's tough not to worry about it. And on the topic of omicron, we think it brushed through our family a few weeks ago. We are all vaxxed (DD6 waiting on 2nd dose, DD15 now eligible for booster, but me and DW are boosted). DW had it in late August '21, but between Christmas and New Years she had "the worst sore throat ever" but was negative for strep, and with fatigue, runny nose, sneezing.....all the omicron symptoms. She did a home test which was negative. DD15 came from her mom's on Christmas already sick with "a cold" with a negative test, then later got what DW had (less symptomatic other than fatigue). DD6 has been pretty much sick since September, with 3 ear infections (she has a history of them) and some mild cough from post-nasal drip (stuffy/runny nose for months). Saw her ENT yesterday that she might be due for tubes in her ears again (had them out 2 years ago). Her teacher is out with confirmed covid right now. Then there's me. I had a headache for a day when DW had delta, then nothing (and that was with taking care of her for 10 days while she isolated). My whole house has been sniffling for weeks. And me, nada. Either I have a great immune system (not likely since I have several comorbidities), or have been incredibly lucky. Why I bring this up is, more likely than not, everyone in my family had omicron over the last few weeks except me. Just my luck I'll get it in on vacation! Lastly, just like Hamilton, I'm worried that staff being sick will impact our vacation. There was already a report that California Grill closed for a day this week. I don't think the parks would close, but I certainly can see shows and dining options being affected.

And then there's crowds. Ugh!! I get it. Everyone wants to travel, we are all sick of the pandemic. Omicron sweeping the country and everyone's still headed to orlando. Like I said, I get it. We aren't changing our plans, and looks like nobody else is either. I've been doing my own little investigating, and looking at hotel availability, ADR availability, crowd tracker history, even the number of people discussing their Jan/Feb trips, and everything still points to a very busy end of January/early Feb. And I know crowds are not as likely to impact us this trip as it has for other DLR trips we have done since our focus isn't really on rides, but it still is going to be felt. This week I have kept an eye on wait times and crowds, specifically because this week was being predicted to have crowd size equal or lower than when we will be there (many 2-4's out of 10 this week on the crowd predictors). And what have I seen? CRAZY long wait times for many rides for what these crowd predictors are saying. 45-60 min wait for things like Dumbo, Pirates, BTMRR today (4/10 crowd level). EPCOT today is predicted 2/10, and the day before a festival starts. Times today are Soarin' 25min, Test Track 40 min, Frozen 60min, and Remy 65min. I agree these aren't bad, but they do not reflect what should be on paper one of the lightest days at EPCOT for the entire year. Our EPCOT days during the festival are 2,3, and 4/10 on the crowd predictors, and I personally feel the predictors are too conservative this year for crowds. But assuming they are accurate, that means our days will for sure be busier than the times we saw this week. I guess what frustrates me is that our last DLR trip during halloween 2019, we never saw wait times the way we are seeing them right now for WDW. I know its not a fair comparison, but when you stand in line for 20 minutes at DLR for BTMRR, and 60 at WDW for the same ride, in what is supposed to be a "less crowded" time, its hard not to get frustrated. I know how DD6 is. She is going to want to ride IASM, Buzz, Pirates, over and over again. At DLR, it was 10-20 minute wait all day, every day. Heck, its 5-25 minutes RIGHT NOW at DLR for these rides. Maybe I'm just used to what a 2/10 day at DLR means compared to 2/10 at WDW. MK today is a 4. Our entire trip there's one 3, and the rest are 5-7. Buzz is 45 minutes. Dumbo 45. IASM 40. And that is where my frustration really begins to creep up. I'm dreading telling DD6 she can't go ride IASM again right after she got off because the wait is too long because that could mean a meltdown and the end of our day. It honestly could end up that we pay park tickets for 4 people and ride IASM 3 times, buzz once and we are done for the day. These are the things I've had to try to plan for.

With 2 weeks to go, I'm certainly at the burn out point for planning. I reminded DW that I've done all the planning, but she's in charge of the daily navigation. That's to help keep us on a pace that she wants to run the parks at. I'm very worried that if I have to run the show, I'm going to feel pressured to try to get everything in. But when I told her that, she replied with "but I don't understand Genie+ or LLs or any of that". Well she's got 2 weeks to figure it out!

Lastly (this is already too long), we discussed our Must Do's for attractions and rides. I really felt this was a helpful step in planning. DW ended up having the most, which shocked me because she is the one most likely to not want to ride rides. We didn't include DD6 (we kind of already know what she likes, and know that might change on any given day with her) but the rest of us went through all the lists at all the parks. It was good to see on paper what everyone's expectations are, and I was surprised with DW's high number of Must Do's. Another reason I want her to navigate us through our days. If I tried to get all of her must do's done, I might get called out for pushing us too hard, but I'm sure I can keep up with whatever pace she wants to keep. Again, its pretty clear DW is wanting that magical trip where she relives her childhood trip through the eyes of our little one, but my expectations are far more tempered than hers.

Next time..... tune in where I discuss physical conditioning and our snack list!

 

[bsmcneil]

I'm with you on the feelings re: omicron, crowds, scheduling, all of it. I am starting to think - well, I could forego the DVC rental but save everything else for a later trip but I'm also done with planning (this is, like it is for many, already a rescheduled trip), the kids are ready for it, etc. I worry about getting sick while there, getting sick after (I've been out of work and am just starting back - so I need to work!), etc. But - sort of like you all - kids' teachers (two of the teachers - but for one of the kids) was positive this week (funny enough, I kept my kid out the first day they were back and potentially contagious - but not the second) and now the program is shut down for a week. I also don't want to take the kids and have it be not very fun (whether staffing necessitates closures, etc). Blah!

 

[Faithful Raider]

Remember when I said DD6 has been sick for forever? Well this week she caught something else and we've been battling more intense runny nose, but now with cough, up most of the night, and cranky. Did a home test which was negative, but being in school all week (with now several of her friends testing positive) we think it's super likely it was covid. But again, neither DW or myself is sick. With not enough tests to go around in our state, many schools are going virtual next week, and the governor pretty much said don't bother getting tested if you're sick. At this point I feel there's no use worrying about it. However it's clear that omicron will impact our trip. Reports today about FotLK cutting shows because of sick cast members, and I feel that will continue. Again, gotta just roll with these punches!

On the good news side, DW reached out to our hotel (Waldorf Astoria) to ask some questions, and the topic of upgrading our room came up. We were offered the option to upgrade to a deluxe suite for $100 a night. DW is a diamond member, but because our stay is more than 7 nights, we don't necessarily qualify for the diamond upgrade auto-upgrade, and I've read several reviews that diamond members have issues with upgrades here anyway. Typically these rooms are $150 more a night, but as we are using points for our stay, the actual points for these rooms would be 3x more than what we spent for our base room! We figure since we are returning to our room for mid-day breaks almost daily, the extra space will come in handy (and since we are parking my scooter in the room too). Plus, now DD15 can use the sleeper and have her own private area. My concern is some of these come with balconies. DW would love one, but I worry about DD6. In addition, we get $50 / day food and beverage credit on our hotel bill daily, so I need to find out how to best use that.... I'm thinking the pool bar is a good idea!!

Speaking of the pool, we aren't quite to the 10 day forecast, but we can certainly see some dates in the 14 day forecast. Warmer than I'd like! More and more I'm wishing we planned for the week before (1/20-1/30). Highs for our first 3 days are looking to be 68. If the forecast holds true should be ok since it should be cloudy as well. I know some of you are thinking I'm crazy, but 40's and sunshine here means short sleeve weather, and I'm in shorts at 50 degrees. 68 is pool weather for sure! DW just bought a bunch of princess graphic T-Shirts for DD6. Short sleeves of course. Yes we will bring sweaters and light jackets, but leaving our snow bibs and heavy coats at home!!

We are having fun watching the videos coming from EPCOT and the arts festival. So glad we have no interest in a Figment popcorn bucket! DW is excited to try all the booth food, and I'm glad we're considering that 3rd EPCOT day. All the parks look super crowded right now. Any remaining hopes for light crowds are gone for us. One vlogger reported that EPCOT felt busier than NYE on the first FARTS day. Other reports that for the most part, food booths are 20-30 minute waits each. While I'm sure we will "divide and conquer" these booths, it's still kinda crazy. Yes, I'm aware crowds will likely shrink as the festival goes not, but there's no guarantee, and there's no denying the crowds are way outpacing expectations. Disney just extended park hours again for dates during our trip, for the 2nd time. Some feel (as do I) that this is because of increased guest reservations. The times don't really affect us as we weren't staying late in the parks anyway, and the days AK opens earlier don't land on our planned days there.

New snacks are being announced and reviewed almost daily right now. Not a lot of the new 50th snacks that came out last week are appealing to me. I had been making a list of snacks I want to try, but many of them are either gone, or really aren't that "must do" for me any more. Really it's the caramel popcorn in Germany, any and all dole whips, and some of the FARTS booths snacks. I don't know.... I used to be really jazzed about trying lots of snacks on our trip. Maybe it's the thought of waiting for 30 minutes for each one. I figure that I'll let DW get all the snacks she wants and I'll taste some. I need to grab her list and post it.

Right now, I'm actually kind of dreading this trip, even if it's just a little. Feeling a little overwhelmed as crunch time is approaching. I need to make a final "To Do" checklist this week and start packing. This week had me feeling extra-scattered, so next week I have a lot to do! I think it's time to get rid of my other "To Do" list. I also have a second planner book (my official one) that I need to fill out this week as well. I certainly feel I'm at a tipping point though. Do I stop my planning with it "as is" and go with it, or do I go ahead and try to tighten up our plans even more? Both have pros and cons. Still have the feeling like I just wanna nuke everything but our character dining ADR's and just wing it. But I know DD6 does so much better with a plan and structure, so prepping her with what our plans are beforehand does help. Next week I plan on having park walkthroughs playing on the TV when she's around, just to get her used to the sights and sounds.

Final To Do List:
1) Finalize park schedule
2) Update planning book
3) Do DAS for DD6
4) Buy Memory Maker
5) Buy remaining things for our trip
6) Pack
7) Make a list of things to buy in Orlando

 

[Kmilos1024]

Speaking as someone who just got back with a 4 and 6 year old who went ts many times lunch and dinner, don't do two a day, it just ruins any planning because you have to be at a certain spot twice in the day, you don't realize how annoying this gets until you are on one side of Epcot and then have to go all the way to the other side for dinner. Also each ts was at least an hour and most times 2 hours by the time we got in and out. I told my wife never again, doing two a day it just tied us down so much that we were rushed to do everything else and couldn't go back to relax ever because we always had to worry about a reservation. With crowds the way they are you need that flexibility or it just becomes a slog.

 

[Faithful Raider]

Speaking as someone who just got back with a 4 and 6 year old who went ts many times lunch and dinner, don't do two a day, it just ruins any planning because you have to be at a certain spot twice in the day, you don't realize how annoying this gets until you are on one side of Epcot and then have to go all the way to the other side for dinner. Also each ts was at least an hour and most times 2 hours by the time we got in and out. I told my wife never again, doing two a day it just tied us down so much that we were rushed to do everything else and couldn't go back to relax ever because we always had to worry about a reservation. With crowds the way they are you need that flexibility or it just becomes a slog.

Yep, I totally agree with you, and DW and I have talked several times about it, especially that we need to plan on 2 hour TS meals. We know going in this trip we are focusing on dining, snacks, shopping, Festival of the Arts, and just experiencing the parks. 2 ADR's and a hotel break every day doesn't leave a ton of time for rides, but this isn't a "ride" trip for us (DLR is close enough for us to visit whenever we want and I've been hundreds of times). I've also tried planning out our days so that our ADR's line up with where we plan to be at for that time, or with enough time for us to travel there. And we know that with DD6, no plan is safe. I guarantee at least 1 day (and likely more) will have us just at the hotel because DD6 is having a rough day. Having an ADR for each half of the day gives us flexibility just in case (it's not uncommon for her to have a meltdown, rest for a little bit, then be "bored" and want to go out). We've also trimmed down our ADR's to mostly must-do's and character dining. We figure DD6 will be much more willing to go to and sit through a TS meal if there will be characters there. And we've also tried to schedule ADR's for early morning and later in the evenings where it seemed a good fit, for example breakfast/brunch before 9, or dinners paired with fireworks plans (like Be Our Guest/LTT followed by Enchantment, or Coral Reef followed by Harmonious) or late enough to be our final activity of the day (Bull and Bear at 9pm, Artist Point at 7pm, H&V at 6:50pm). We also will be utilizing Genie+ and DAS, so rides that DD6 does want to go on, we should be able to fit in. DD6 also does much better in the mornings, so starting early and having just dinner plans in the evening should be much better for her.

And yes, it might be that day 1 DD6 suddenly LOVES rides and wants to be at the park all day non-stop without any meltdowns. If that happens we have no problem tossing out a bunch of our "extra" ADRs so she can play all day. But the chances of this are extremely slim. The reality of this trip is we have to take it slow and follow her lead. 3-4 rides, and a show or two, with a meet and greet mixed in, is realistically about the maximum we will likely get done with her in a day. So building ADR's with character interactions into that kind of schedule isn't difficult, and will help keep the slower pace DD6 needs. We've intentionally tried to keep ADR's to breakfast (or brunch) and dinner, with our only lunches being Teppen Edo at 12:40pm on 1/30 (which may get moved), and Space 220 Lounge at 11:50am on 2/2 which is only for drinks and snacks and to check it out. That should help us spread out the times and keep us from rushing. We've also planned to do our Japan Pavilion day on 1/30 to go along with that ADR so we will be in the area for that. We've also intentionally left our last 3 days very light and open, allowing us to "catch up" on anything we may have missed.

I get that our plan probably differs greatly from the average family, but our needs are pretty different too. I do appreciate the feedback! Yes, if we were playing in the parks all day every day, I agree it would be too much time taken away from that if we had so many ADR's. And we might find out DD6 doesn't do well with character dining this trip, or just wants to constantly be in the parks anyway and we might drop some. But it's way easier to have them and drop if things are going wonderful, than to not have them and try to get them.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

Making sure you realize, ADR can't be cancelled same day without a penalty.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Good point…I think they must be cancelled by midnight to avoid penalty .
I also have called after a LTT reservation during holidays to cancel the NYE CRT that night cause…too much food and I have never been able to get a CRT reservation since… I will keep trying even tho my g-kids are 13&15 now Haha . But WDW dining is usually very understanding .I have even shown up early to ask for something now and can I be squeezed in earlier time slot.. (407-WDW-Dine)
The key factor is just having a reservation for that day in their system.


Also wanted to say Do not give up Sci Fi ; even after so many trips, the first thing they ask about Did I get SciFi? So that is the first thing I book now.
Every year SciFi .
Also booked a lot of reservations this past holiday week but whenever possible I would look for just appetizer to order or soup salad or milkshake . Don’t care what you order, just leave aThank You tip !

Most buffets , you are so overwhelmed your stomach says Not hungry and then 2 hours later I am hungry ! I had a crazy dining planning and just made it work. Most character buffets are to enjoy the characters and food is secondary. Def worth keeping in your planning .
Basically a table and a place to sit is worth any price.



My second favorite must book is the Plaza on Main Street MK for a place to sit and watch out the windows and view the Castle. They have the best milkshakes served in the old style glass soda fountain shape.

I loved your planning and am amazed w/your selection success!

Keep posting cause I’ll keep reading and think about your planning… and hope I can help.

Also have stayed at the adjoining Hilton Signia and feel like I have noticed the parking garage is for both locations. You might want to doublecheck cause the guests staying at Waldorf were lugging their luggage thru the lobby of the Hilton … but the WA does have a drive up valet and drop off luggage circle… . And 2 separate stops for the Waldorf / Hilton / WDW transport Coach bus.
Sounds like you will be driving your rental car. Need to get planning tips for that process also in your pre-planning. That is why I mention the parking garage at Hilton Bonnet Creek .
At this point budgeting for valet is your cheapest luxury Haha .

Also LOVE the Hilton pool and the many places to enjoy a drink and fast hamburger. Etc. Poolside Bar with great service and 2 fireplaces and upper lobby bar w/ modern gaslit fireplaces. Definitely take the time to walk between both resorts with views of the golf course.
P.S. the Signia has a lazy River and pretty sure you can access both resort amenities.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Hi FR…sorry keep editing above post .
Hope it makes sense!

Disney Springs has many parking garages . I always park at ORANGE . Important to remeber security level is second floor even tho you arrive on third floor… This location has escalator and elevator and love seeing the Aerophile Balloon floating up& down. Your family will want to go on this probably because the View is amazing day or night! Also hope it is not windy because it will have to temporarily close …
I sit at that Starbucks all the time and watch every family wants their picture taken with the balloon backdrop!
This location also has the Coca Cola Store with fun upper level outdoor bar and views of entire area! It is very casual you can go up and not really order anything and nice bathrooms up there too. Haha.
and grab a Map at bottom of escalator when you walk past security.! Disney Springs confuses me everytime .
It might be a circle within a circle with lots of ways to get confused!


Also 2 Speedway Gas Stations on property. The Boardwalk Resort location, closest to your Bonnet Creek location, also has a drive thru car wash in case you want to clean windows… I live nearby and feel their price for gas is fair.

Gosh don’t you want to go to Universal Too???

 

[Faithful Raider]

Thank you for the recommendations! Yes we are aware of the cancellation policy. Still trying to get that Sci-Fi for a better time. We will use our 1/31 backup time if needed. I like your thinking about just having a place to sit while we eat!

Yes I have to do a little more research on using a car rental at WDW. Ugh parking!! Oh well it's worth it. It's a necessity with DD6. I don't even want to try to deal with getting her back to the hotel, waiting at stops and being on public transportation while she's having a meltdown. Or trying to figure out how to get her McDonald's fries while we are in MK without a car. DW is the one who always handles the hotel stuff (she's the diamond member) so I'll need to include her in this. Also heard about a road closure near EPCOT for while we are there so I need to research some more about getting around at WDW. Oh, and the fastest route to McDonald's from every possible place we might be.

I spent this morning getting DAS set up for DD6. Got a little bit of a late start and had some technical issues, so didn't get in line to chat until 8:30am. DD6 is having a tough day. We ended up taking her to urgent care yesterday and she has another ear infection (of course) and strep throat. Another round of antibiotics. This is nothing new for us, but it's tough. We'll be scheduling her ear tubes surgery for when we get back. Anyway so having her being extra cranky didn't help this morning, but we eventually got through the queue and got her signed up. Took about 3.5 hrs which isn't bad from the stories I've heard. Cast members were amazing as always! I scheduled some DAS return times for us, just in case. But these have a pretty tight 1 hour window, which means we may not get to use them. Our plan is to mainly use the regular DAS return time for rides she's up to doing for that day, and if the prescheduled ones work out, that'll just be bonus. We also plan on using G+, at least for our MK and HS days. Based on crowds and how DD6 does, we may end up using it daily just to stack for later in the day, but for now I don't think that will be necessary. Just being able to have her tell us what ride she wants to do, scan her DAS, and let her run around and play while we wait is already going to be so helpful. I really like that these kinds of DAS returns don't have a cutoff time, removing the stress of trying to get her to a ride by a certain time, and in a state of mind to be able to ride at that moment. Trust me, there will be missed DAS return times with this little one! And since myself or DW might be back at the hotel with DD6 at any given moment, G+ would allow us to stack times for later just in case one of us ends up taking DD15 to the park while the other hangs out at the hotel with DD6 for a few hours.

Oh yes, certainly looking forward to the pool! Even though temps will be in the high 60's, that's plenty warm enough for DD6 to want to swim!! She's more of a splash around the pool type, so not sure how she would do on the lazy river, but I'm hoping to try it! My worry is since she already loves to play in the water, she'll be wanting to leave the park and go back and swim every day! Haha! Well if that happens, so be it. I'll need to change my Drinking Around the World t-shirt to Drinking Around the Pool!


Edit- decided to change up my profile pic to me hanging with my good buddy Chewie my last trip to Batuu!

 

[CTDisneygal]

Just a heads up - there is construction (I believe it is next to the Waldorf) during the day and the jackhammer is excruciatingly loud, from what I understand.

And the unknown with Omicron is just something we all have to deal with. We had a trip planned for 1/25-2/3 and ended up postponing it due to COVID, but my son and husband ended up getting it anyway. LOL. Im already in full gear for the later date so no turning back now, but i sure wish we were going next week! Y'all enjoy.

 

[Faithful Raider]

Just a heads up - there is construction (I believe it is next to the Waldorf) during the day and the jackhammer is excruciatingly loud, from what I understand.

And the unknown with Omicron is just something we all have to deal with. We had a trip planned for 1/25-2/3 and ended up postponing it due to COVID, but my son and husband ended up getting it anyway. LOL. Im already in full gear for the later date so no turning back now, but i sure wish we were going next week! Y'all enjoy.

Yep we know about the construction. They have been building on to our neighborhood nonstop since we built our home 2 years ago. We will feel right at home!

 

[CTDisneygal]

Perfect! Have fun

 

[Faithful Raider]

Had to stop in for a quick update. Last few days have been a blur. Woke up Tuesday early am with a scratchy throat, followed headache, nausea, some occasional stomach ache, slight runny nose, mild cough, brain fog, fatigue.... like every omicron symptom to a T. Somehow slogged through the last few days (DW is out of town at work - comes home today). Symptoms have been mild but annoying enough to slow me down (the fatigue and brain fog are the worst). Did a rapid which was negative but not surprised. Was it COVID? No proof but certainly could have been. Good news is whatever it was, I'm glad I got it this week instead of next! Feeling somewhat better today, which again goes along with the omicron timeline.

Woke up this morning at 6:11am to my dining alert going off for Sci-Fi. Grabbed my phone and opened the app (I've learned to just skip the text and go right to the app) and saw the opening. Clicked on it, but got the error, and it was gone. Hung out a while to see if it popped back up, but it was at a very poor time for us (11:10am) since we are at H&V at 9. Decided that was a good omen though and that I would try to watch for a Sci-Fi time today. Dropped off DD6 at school, then I headed right for bed. Did my usual morning checks of all my Disney stuff, turned on some YouTube, then casually refreshed the app. After a while, I saw a dinner time pop up for Sci-Fi! It had to be destiny! Clicked on it, while simultaneously jumping out of bed, and rushed to my PC. No luck on my phone, but I wasn't giving up. Kept hitting my phone, logged in on the PC, but nope..... was gone yet again.

Already at my computer, I figured I'd hang around and watch for it. So I refreshed, and refreshed.... checked my FB dining reservation group, hung out on the forums, then suddenly that SAME time popped up. Again, I frantically clicked the reservation time and crossed my fingers. And again, failure. How could I have missed that reservation twice?! I keep refreshing, and I notice the reservation page "glitch out" and it begins to only display Dinner times for Sci-Fi. I check several dates, I log out and back in, and still only dinner. I get back on the app and it seems to be working fine, so I just keep refreshing dinners on my PC and lunch times on my app (just in case), but nothing. At this point I'm feeling quite down so I text DW to let her know of my ADR failures. She said she got the early morning notification but was asleep. I told her of the dinner one I'd been chasing. As I'm texting her, it pops up AGAIN like 10 minutes later. For sure less than 30 seconds since I had refreshed. I click it but again, I get an error (this time I get the HTML text error page) and it's gone. By now I'm thinking that this has got to be some kind of glitch in the reservation system, some phantom ADR that gets bugged every time someone tries to book it, disappears, then drops back in the system, over and over. So I keep refreshing, and again about 10 minutes later it pops up. This time literally right in between refreshes. There is no way that more than 5 seconds passes between when I see it and when I click on it to reserve. And again, error. So by now, seeing it for my 3rd or 4th time and having it gone so incredibly fast, I tell myself it's for sure some kind of glitch. A few minutes later, guess who is calling me? That's right, it's DW, or her now official title as QUEEN OF THE ADR's!! Yes, that's because she YET AGAIN scored the ADR I couldn't. Honestly I am so stoked. It took all the way to literally 1 week before our trip, but we FINALLY got that last ADR we were wanting. Looking forward to going through and dropping a bunch of ADR's we aren't going to use and cleaning up our plans.

Well that's all the excitement I can handle today. Wrapping this up and going to bed with our (hopefully) final ADR plans!

1/27 - TREX (gonna try the walk up, DW is dead set on this one)
1/28 - AK/MK: 10a Tusker House*, 4:45p Be Our Guest*
1/29 - MK: 11a Cinderella's Royal Table*, 9p Bull & Bear
1/30 - EP/HS: 9a Homecomin', 12:40p Teppen Edo, 6:50p H&V* (Minnie) - then home after dinner
1/31 - MK/MK: 11:50a Chef Mickey's*, 7:05p Artist Point Story Book*
2/1 - HS/HS: 8:55a H&V* (DisJr), 7:25p Sci-Fi
2/2 - EP/EP: 8:45a Topolino's* Character Breakfast, 11:50a Space 220 Lounge, 5:45p Coral Reef
2/3 - AK/AK: 8:05a Boma, 6:30p Boathouse
2/4 - EP/EP: festival day + Drinking Around the World (not sure if I like it on a Friday though b/c crowds)
2/5 - MK/MK: 6:10p Liberty Tree Tavern and farewell fireworks at MK.

P.S. - One quick thought. Should I try to get Teppen Edo for 2/4? If one comes up I might grab it just in case.... Man and I thought I was done!

 

[bmdq89]

Had to come update with a quick bit of news. WE GOT TOPOLINO'S BREAKFAST!! Even better, it's for a day that works well (2/1 at 8:45am, on our EPCOT drinking day). Best part about this is I don't have to search for it any more!

Haha was so excited that I forgot to tell the story, so I came back and had to edit it in! DW had an alert set up, and this time it actually went off and we rushed to try to get it! But by the time we got into the MDE (her on her phone, me on the PC), it was gone. But as we have seen with past experience, we knew there was a chance it would appear again 5 or so minutes later. AND IT DID!! It was probably 6-7 minutes of trying when I heard her yell from the other room "I got it!" 2nd time she's scored the near-impossible ADR, under the 60 day window. She's the ADR Hawk!

Oh, and that was our last "must-do" ADR. We also finalized our Coral Reef time when they dropped (5:45p on 2/2), and cancelled the Via Napoli ADR. More cuts will come, I'm sure....

1/27 - 6:40p Topolino's Terrace
1/28 - 10a Tusker House, 4:45p Be Our Guest
1/29 - 11a Cinderella's Royal Table, 3:15p 50's Prime Time (just backup ATM), 9p Bull & Bear
1/30 - 9a Homecomin', 10:40a Sci-Fi (backup), 12:40p Teppen Edo, 3:45p/6:50p H&V (Minnie)
1/31 - 11:50a Chef Mickey's, 2:20p Sci-Fi, 3:45p Beaches & Cream, 7:05p Artist Point Story Book
2/1 - 8:55a H&V (DisJr), 12:30p Brown Derby, 9:50p California Grill (probably will cancel)
2/2 - 8:45a Topolino's Character Breakfast, 11:30a San Angel Inn, 2:30p Teppen Edo (backup for 1/30), 5:45p Coral Reef
2/3 - 8a Boma, 3:00p Yak & Yeti, 6:30p/8:00p Boathouse (need to pick which time)
2/4 - 11:30a Liberty Tree Tavern, 3:00p T-REX, 6:05p Whispering Canyon, 9:55p California Grill (backup date night)
2/5 - 9a Oga's, 10:05a H&V (DisJr) (backup for 2/1), 2:00p T-REX (backup), 4:45p Oga's (backup), 6:10p Liberty Tree Tavern (backup)

ADR Wish List (remaining)
1) Topolino's Breakfast
2) Space 220 Lounge
3) Better times for Sci-Fi/B&C, and California Grill (after watching videos on the 50th menu, we will likely cancel this)
4) Slot in Wine Bar George somewhere
5) Finalize park day plans (esp 1/30, 2/4, 2/5)

Fantastic! How did you score Topolino's for breakfast? Do you wake up early each morning and look then?

 

[Faithful Raider]

Fantastic! How did you score Topolino's for breakfast? Do you wake up early each morning and look then?

We got an alert for it. Topolino's breakfast was long gone when we were at 60 days. If you're staying on-site you've got a much better chance at getting it at 60+ instead of at 60 like me who's off-site (and yes, gotta wake up early for this one on your day). Other than that, it's mostly luck and hoping you get an alert!

 

[Faithful Raider]

Went ahead and picked up a Teppen Edo for 2/4 at 12:30p since it was on my mind. WOW I forgot how relatively easy it is to get some of these ADR's compared to the ones I've been searching for lately! Having that one does open up some options for sure. Could totally rearrange our 1/30 day now if we wanted. Hmm..... the possibilities.....

 

[bmdq89]

Went ahead and picked up a Teppen Edo for 2/4 at 12:30p since it was on my mind. WOW I forgot how relatively easy it is to get some of these ADR's compared to the ones I've been searching for lately! Having that one does open up some options for sure. Could totally rearrange our 1/30 day now if we wanted. Hmm..... the possibilities.....

Forgive my ignorance. How did you get an alert?

 

[CTDisneygal]

Perfect! Y'all enjoy your vacation!