First-Timers Take on Disney World - Pictures!!! Multiple Updates - 10/10

[ddstratton]

So, do I win a prize for most changes to a trip before it even happens? Let's see, we started out as three people going in May, went to four people going in May, then to five people going in October, then to four people going in October. (Phew!)

Also, we started out looking at the Caribbean Beach Resort, then decided on Pop Century. We're now back at the Caribbean Resort. It was to be two rooms, but is now one room.

My latest change -- I've decided to go with the Basic Dining plan rather than the Deluxe. My main reason for wanting the Deluxe was that it forced us to slow down and stop for meals several times a day. With DMIL not going with us, we won't "need" to slow down/stop for meals quite as often. I think we'll get along just find with one TS/one CS/one snack daily. I'll buy our refillable mugs OOP.

So now I get to go through all of my ADRs and decide which ones to keep and which ones to toss. I think I'm committing Disney treason by seriously considering dropping lunch at the Castle and LeCellier. The more I think about those two meals in particular, the more I have decided that we just aren't interested. We'll have many other things to keep ourselves occupied with. (We may even go offsite for a meal or two.)

Not only does this free up our schedule A LOT, it is a whole lot cheaper. Even when I figure in paying for some meals OOP, it's so much cheaper. With prices of everything going up so much in everyday life, any way I can find to make this trip more affordable -- while still being enjoyable -- is great!

As soon as I decide which ADRs to keep, I'll update here.

 

[ddstratton]

Oh my. I am seriously going nuts here. Below is a table of my ADRs. On the left is my current tentative ADR list. On the right are any I'm considering dropping. We are not looking for divine food, as much as a great, FUN, experience. That's part of the reason I'm seriously considering dropping the Le Cellier ADR. I've heard the food is absolutely wonderful (usually), but the experience just doesn't sound FUN. It sounds stuffy. And stuffy we ain't. (By a long shot.)

There are only a few ADRs that I'm absolutely positive about. They are Whispering Canyon on 10/22. I hear that place is a riot, and it'll be my birthday! Hoop De Doo is not changing. That sounds like too much fun to miss. Liberty Tree Tavern is on our MNSSHP night, so that one is solid. The rest of them.... I could be persuaded to change these super-soft plans if anyone has experience at any of these places!

Date....Current Tentative Schedule...........In original plan, was:
10/22 Magic Kingdom Counter Service..........Crystal Palace @ 2:10
10/22 Whispering Canyon Cafe @ 7:40
10/23 Donald's Safari Breakfast @ 8:20
10/23 Counter Service (Pizzafari)
10/23 Off Property...........................Coral Reef @ 7:40
10/24 Crystal Palace @ 8:20
10/24 Counter Service........................Cinderella's Castle @ 12:25
10/24 Off Property...........................Cap'n Jacks @ 5:55
10/25 in room................................Boma @ 8:45
10/25 counter service........................50's Prime Time Cafe @ 1:10
10/25 Off Property...........................Cape May Cafe @ 5:50
10/26 in room................................Ohana @ 9:00
10/26 DS Counter Service (Pizza Planet)
10/26 Liberty Tree Tavern
10/27 in room................................Beach Club Breakfast @ 9:00
10/27 counter service
10/27 Off Property...........................Mama Melrose's @ 4:20
10/28 in room................................Chef Mickey's @ 8:25
10/28 counter service........................Yak & Yeti @ 1:30
10/28 Cinderella's Happily Ever After (1900 Park Faire)
10/29 in room................................Whispering Canyon Cafe @8:30
10/29 Biergarten @ 12:00
10/29 Ohana's @ 8:15
10/30 in room................................Akershus @ 8:30
10/30 Counter Service............ ...........Tutto Italia @ 12:00
10/30 Counter Service............ ...........Le Cellier @ 5:55
10/31 in room................................Hollywod & Vine @ 8:00
10/31 Sci Fi Dine Inn @ 12:15
10/31 Hoop De Doo Revue
11/1 Counter Service (Captain Cook's)........Kona Cafe

The only reason I've kept Sci Fi is because of the experience - do you guys think it's worth it? If not, which TS in the right-hand column would you switch it for?

So -- any hints, tips, favorites, reasons I should switch??? What do you think? All comments welcome.

 

[dreamer17555]

I recommend stopping in at Sci Fi for Desert. You grab some milkshakes and made a side order of fries and soak it up! But the rest of the food is not so hot. We really enjoyed Prime Time and loved their Fried Chicken.

Just a Thought.


-Becca-

 

[ddstratton]

Update time! Oh, my, has a LOT changed since I started this Pre-TR. Current updates:

1) I've decided to drop the dining plan altogether. We'll be paying for meals out-of-pocket. This means dropping a bunch of the ADR's I originally had. I haven't completely decided on which ones to drop yet, but a few are officially toast. We'll be grabbing breakfast in our room on a few days. Which is fine by all of us - we're not really big-meal-in-the-morning people. A few of our meals will be off Disney property (I know - the shame!). When I first started planning, the Deluxe plan sounded great to us. We needed a reason to stop and rest for a while at least 3 times a day. DMIL (76) would need the breaks. Without her going with us, we don't need to sit down for meals that many times a day. After much consideration (and menu perusal) I've come to the conclusion that even the Basic plan is just too restrictive for us. There are only a few TS meals we really want. Not enough to use up 10 TS credits each for. I'm still sorting out exactly which ones we want. I've been soaking up all of the reviews I can. We are really more interested in the atmosphere and experience than the quality of the food. As long as it is edible, we'll be happy.

2) I received my refund for the extra MNSSHP ticket! It was in my bank account yesterday morning. I had used my debit card to buy the tickets. Woo-hooo!!! I honestly didn't plan on getting a refund, so that was a really nice bonus.

3) OUR TRIP IS PAID OFF!!!!! Well, the resort-package portion. Actually, I have completely paid off the MNSSHP tickets, the resort ressie (which includes our MYW Park Hopper passes) and our train tickets for the trip home. The big thing to save up for now is the meals/snacks. Gotta feed all four of us for two weeks.

4) I got a new camera! I've been in love with my Canon PowerShot S2 (and it's predecessor, the S1). However, lately it's been making me wonder. I got some really odd effects when trying to take pictures at our County Fair. I've been worrying since then that I would end up in Disney World, in the middle of my vacation, and my camera would die. That's a nightmare for me. I didn't want to spend a whole lot of $$ on a camera, though. I really want to by a REALLY nice one, but the one I've been drooling over starts at around $800. Not gonna happen before the Disney trip. I ended up with this.

It's a Canon PowerShot A470. It's a nice little camera, but definitely not what I'm used to. It's a 7 megapixel, and has a 3.4x optical zoom. It's fairly responsive, and the pictures seem good so far. I also can't argue with the price. It was under $150, even after tax.

This one is at the full 14x digital zoom. Not too bad, but nothing near my S2... I've been spoiled.

Not too bad for action. I caught little miss Molly in the two seconds that she stopped while tearing through the house.

I think I'll be doing a quick recap of my trip plans so far, with my recent changes added in. I think I've lost everyone with all of our changes -- myself included!!!

 

[ddstratton]

OK. Since so much has changed, I'm going to go over our plans again. Not much has changed here.

Days 1 and 2

Day 1 -- We'll be leaving on a Monday, so I will have the weekend beforehand to finish packing and getting the van packed up. This morning will require only last-minute things to be packed into the van. We'll be leaving home right about 8:00 am. We'll drive straight down through Pennsylvania and into Maryland. We'll be stopping in Hagerstown, MD, for brunch at IHOP. This is a bit of a traditition for us. We always stop here on our way to Tennessee or North Carolina. After brunch, we'll head south-east to pick up I-95 near Washington DC. We'll drive down through Virginia, stopping for the evening just north of the North Carolina border.

We'll be staying on the cheap, at an EconoLodge.

Supper this evening will most likely be at the Cracker Barrel nearby. Both me and my mom do MyPoints, and we have cashed in points to get a $25 gift card each.


Day 2 -- The EconoLodge offers a continental breakfast. Not expecting much, but it should be enough to get us going. Probably cereal, toast, juice, etc. Today, we'll be traveling through North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and into Florida.

We plan on stopping for lunch at a Cici's pizza buffet near Florence, SC. Nothing grand, but it's something we don't have near us, so it's a novelty. We all like pizza, so it's a safe bet for lunch.

This evening, we'll also be staying on the cheap, at a Rodeway Inn near Jacksonville, FL. Again, we'll have two rooms.

Supper will most likely be at one of the restaurants right near the motel -- Ruby Tuesdays, Dennys, Cracker Barrel, etc.

That does it for our first two days.

 

[ddstratton]

OK, there were no real changes in Days 1 or 2, but there are changes from the original tentative plans for today.

Day 3 -- Tentative Itinerary

Day 3 -- We want to be up fairly early. The Rodeway Inn we'll be staying at has a continental breakfast. I imagine this one will also be just your very basic continental fare, but it'll do for breakfast. We want to leave the Rodeway Inn by 9:00 am. We'll be driving from here (Jacksonville, FL) to the Caribbean Beach Resort this morning!

We hope to get to the Caribbean Beach by about noon. This will be easier to do if we can get out of Jacksonville before 9:00. Our plan is to check in at the Caribbean Beach and find our rooms if they are ready.

We originally had plans to have lunch at the Garden Grill. However, they no longer offer lunch any more. I had then changed our lunch plans to the Crystal Palace. Our current plans are a bit different.

After checking in at the Caribbean Beach, we are going to head to Magic Kingdom. My plans here are to just look around, get used to the layout, and just take it all in. We'll hit a counter service for lunch. I'm thinking Pinnochio's Village Haus. I would like to spend enough time at the Magic Kingdom to catch the Dreams Come True parade at 3:00.

After the parade, we plan on heading back to the resort. We have a 7:40 ADR at the Whispering Canyon Cafe.

I've heard great things about some of the 'antics' at this restaurant. It sounds GREAT to us!! On a recent call to Disney Dining, the CM made sure to note on the ADR that we were celebrating two birthdays on the trip, one of them that day. I'll be sure to wear my Birthday Button, too.

After dinner we will settle into our rooms -- and check out the pools. Oh yes, even at this hour. We cannot get away without checking out not only the main pool but quiet pools as well. Our DD is a fish. She'd live in our pool, if we'd let her.

That's it (so far) for our first day at Disney World!

 

[ddstratton]

Some fairly major changes from our original tentative plans for this day, also.

Day 4 -- Tentative Itinerary

Our first full day at Disney World!! This morning, we have an 8:20 ADR for Donald's Safari Breakfast in the Animal Kingdom.

We plan on touring around Animal Kingdom for the morning.

Me and my mom really want to ride Expedition Everest. Not sure about DD. She says she does, but I don't know if she'll go through with it or not. We'll just have to wait and see! Guaranteed that DH will NOT ride. Besides EE, we don't really have any set plans. We'll be visiting Animal Kingdom a couple more times, at least, so we don't have the pressure to see it all and do it all in one day. We'll just see how the crowds are and adjust our touring accordingly. We will most likely have lunch at Pizzafari.

Two things that my mother REALLY wants to see at Animal Kingdom. One is pretty much guaranteed. The other, not so much.

After lunch, we are leaving Disney World for a bit. I know - the HORROR!!! Of the four of us, only my Mom has ever been to the ocean. Well, I guess I have been, but I was four months old at the time. Doesn't count! We're going to take the afternoon and drive over to a little beach I found online called Paradise Beach. It's a little south of Cape Canaveral. We'll spend the afternoon just enjoying the beach. We'll catch supper someplace on the way back. Whatever grabs out attention, basically.

After supper, it'll be back to the resort to veg out.

Of course, this day's plan is dependent on the weather. If the weather does not look so nice, we'll hit a park for the day and try the beach on another day. That's why I'm planning it so early in our trip - to allow for wiggle room.

 

[ddstratton]

Yup, we've had some changes to this day's plans also.

Day 5 -- Tentative Itinerary

Our Day 5 is a Friday. We have an 8:20 ADR for Crystal Palace.

Magic Kingdom opens at 9:00 on this day, so we may get a chance to get some nice pictures of a not-too-crowded Main Street.

As for Magic Kingdom touring, we have a few things we'd like to see. We'll be visiting the Magic Kingdom several times, so again we don't feel the need to go commando touring. We wanna do the major attractions -- Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, BTMRR, POTC, Haunted Mansion, etc. Whether we get to them today or not.... Who knows?

We're going to catch some Counter Service for lunch -- maybe Pecos Bill's or Columbia Harbor House. Whatever catches our fancy when we get hungry.

After lunch, we'll be heading back to the Caribbean Beach resort to rest/swim/etc. I imagine that for DH it will be the rest portion, and for DD, Mom and I it will be the swim portion. DH's doesn't swim much. But who knows, maybe he'll surprise us!

After our break, we may visit DownTown Disney. We'll probably hit someplace off-property for supper tonight. Maybe Black Angus Steakhouse, or someplace like that. We may even do something like Golden Corral, because DH and DD love buffets.

Our evening plans are not solid. Depending on energy levels, we may try to hit Epcot for their EMH's. Then again, maybe we'll just head back to the resort for more pool time. Whatever just feels right at the time.

 

[ddstratton]

Day 6 - Tentative Plans

Our Day 6 is Saturday. We will be having breakfast in our room today. Today we'll be heading to Epcot.

Our "wanna's" for today include Soarin', Test Track, Mission Space and Living With The Land.

(I don't know any of the people in these pictures -- I snagged them off the 'net)

Other than that, we'll want to see some of the World Showcase. Lunch will be whichever counter service catches our attention.

After lunch, we'll head back to the resort for a swim and rest.We're having supper at Cape May Cafe Clam Bake at 5:50.

After supper, we're going to head back to Magic Kingdom, specifically to see Spectro and Wishes (they are scheduled fairly late on this date).

 

[ddstratton]

Yesterday, DH & I were talking on the way home from my sister's house. DH, DD, me, my sister, her SO, his 2 boys, my Mom, my brother. All of us got together for dinner. I love these family dinners. Sis made the spaghetti, Mom brought the garlic bread, I brought the salad. Delish.

Sorry, got sidetracked a bit. As I was saying, DH & I were talking. DMIL would really still like to go do Disney World with us, but also really doesn't think the can be away from home for two full weeks. It would be physically straining, and mentally. She just does not like to be away from home for that long. We started talking about taking her next year, for only a few days. Looks like I might have another trip to plan!!!

I'm thinking maybe in May. I don't know if that's too soon or not.... Maybe October again??? I'm also thinking of staying offsite on this little trip. Off-site, we can get an entire house with small private pool and hot tub for half what we would pay for a moderate bedroom/bathroom. Anyone have any favorite places for staying offsite? Hotels, condos, townhouses, private rentals.... We'd consider any and all

 

[GeminiAngel]

I love how you are so organized! Your plans look wonderful!
And with a month away the excitment is mounting.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[ddstratton]

Day 7 - Tentative plans

Our Day 7 is Sunday, October 26th. This morning, we are going to have a semi-late breakfast at O'hana. From what I've read, this should be a fun time.

After breakfast, we plan on heading over to Hollywood Studios. Our goals for today include Toy Story, Rock N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. Mom wants to go on all of them with me. I have my doubts about DD, though... I think she'll do the first two, but I'm not sure about ToT.

We want to have lunch at Hollywood Studios today, at Pizza Planet. DD is really looking forward to this one.

We'll be heading back to the resort to rest up and enjoy the new pool.

After our "rest," we'll be heading back to the Magic Kingdom. We have ressies here for the Liberty Tree Tavern. I'm very glad we made these ressies, and glad I kept them through all of my changes. They will soon be stopping the characters at this meal (in early January, I believe).

After our dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern, we will be sticking around the Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Woo hoo!!!!!

(again - not my pictures; all snagged from the 'net)

 

[ddstratton]

Woooo hoooo!!!!!! Guess what I got!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mrsksomeday]

You got your smelly evelope, I love the smelly envelope!!! That is your first Disney smell!!
​

 

[Hedy]

 

[GeminiAngel]

I can't wait to get my smelly envelope!!!

 

[ddstratton]

Our Day 8 is Monday, October 27. We're going to sleep in a bit today, as last night should have been a late night (MNSSHP). We'll have breakfast in our room again.

We're leaving the World this morning, when we finally do get up and around. DD is addicted to odd things -- this nine-year-old is begging me to take her to the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia -- it has all kinds of medical oddities. One of her odd addictions is Ripley's Believe It Or Not -- which is actually a bunch of odd things! We'll be going to visit Orlando's Ripley's spot.

We'll hit someplace near here for some lunch. I need to do a bit more research to find out what's close. Or maybe we'll just wing it and see what catches our attention.

After Ripley's and lunch, we'll either hit the pool for a bit, or head straight back to Hollywood Studios. We want to catch the Block Party Bash at 3:00.

We'll stay at DHS to see Fantasmic. We'll spend the time either catching attractions we missed yesterday or doing anything we really liked again.

After Fantasmic, we'll either catch some counter-service supper here or head off-property for supper. Haven't decided on that one yet. Probably another case of whatever catches our fancy. After supper will be either pool time or Magic Kingdom EMHs. My guess will be pool time, if I know my daughter at all...

Usual disclaimer - these are not my photos, they're all snagged from the 'net.)

 

[ddstratton]

Day 9 is Tuesday, October 28th. We'll be having a quick breakfast in our room today. Our morning plans are still a bit up-in-the-air. I WANT to go to the Showcase of Citrus and pick some oranges straight from the trees.

They also offer a one-hour eco-tour -- on a MONSTER TRUCK!!

Problem with this -- I don't know if they will be open when we are there. Their website says they are closed May-October, but others have said that they open in mid-Ocotber. I can't get them on the phone yet, either. I left a message a while ago, and never heard anything. When I tried calling back, their answering machine was full. I tried calling the number for the Monster Truck ride, but didn't get an answer.

If it turns out that this plan is not an option, we'll just pick whichever park we want to go back to for the morning. Lunch with either be a counter service at whichever park we choose, or perhaps at KFC (we love KFC...) if we are able to do the Citrus/Monster Truck plan.

After lunch, we wanna hit Animal Kingdom around 4:00. We'd like to catch the Jammin' Jungle Parade, if possible.

Supper tonight will be at Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner at 1900 Park Fare. Supper's a little late tonight -- around seven. We are really looking forward to some character interaction here...

After supper, we might just take a Monorail ride to see the resorts.

By the time we're finished with supper, the parks will be closed (except Magic Kingdom, but they have a MNSSHP this evening). I think we'll just visit resorts and hit the pool at our own resort.

Five more travel days (three of them Disney) to go. And we leave in three weeks!!!

 

[ddstratton]

Our Day 10 is Wednesday, October 29th.

We don't have any set plans for this morning. We'll have a light breakfast in the room, then hit whichever park appeals to us. For lunch, we'll either grab some Counter Service at the park of our choice, or we may go off-site. This meal is entirely unplanned. Just whatever sounds good at the time we decide we're hungry. (Some days, I love plans like this!!!)

After lunch, we again have no set plans! Today is basically a catch-up day. We can either hit a park to see something we've missed or want to do again, or we may stay at the resort and enjoy the pools.

We are planning on going to the Waffle House for supper. We don't have these in our area, and DD insists that she wants to eat at one. Not sure why. It's mentioned in a Toby Keith song that she listens to.. I think that's why she want to eat there. I've never been to one, so why not?

 

[ddstratton]

Our Day 11 is Thursday, October 30th. Breakfast will be a light one in our room. We are currently planning on going to Epcot again, and taking in more of the World Showcase.

For lunch, DD has requested a visit to McDonald's. But not just ANY McDonald's. She want to visit the one that was listed as #2 on the Travel Channel's "Most Unique McDonald's". It's in Orlando. It's a two-story McDonald's. It has a HUGE playplace and an arcade. It also has a "Bistro" menu, besides the normal Micky-D stuff.

After some lunch, we're planning on just vegging out at the resort. Probably soaking up some more pool time, if the weather allows.

Supper will be offsite someplace. Perhaps at Pizzaria Uno. This is another place that we just don't have near us. And I LOVE a good deep-dish pizza.

We do want to head back to Epcot after our supper. We want to catch Illuminations tonight.

Also, Pizzaria Uno is open late, so we could even do supper after IllumiNations, if we wanted to... It really just depends on how hungry we are, and when we are hungry.

Only one more Disney Day left....