I said we wouldn't do Disney again. I lied. April Vacation - 4 Days Left! 4/17

[ursalita]

I've been lurking on here for awhile and thought it would be fun to try a PTR. I'm absolutely obsessed with planning this trip so I'm going to channel some of that into this report. I hope I do this right.

I am Colleen, the planner of the family. My DH is Jamie, he tolerates my obsession but he has a really good time on our trips. DS Aidan will be 9 and this will be his 4th trip, DS Sam will be 6 and this will be his 3rd trip. Here we are last October:



We last visited Disney in October 2013 and at the time I told everyone who would listen how this was going to be our last trip to Disney, we would try something else next family vacation. The problem was that in researching other vacation options, I couldn't find any one thing that would satisfy all of us. So back to Disney it is!

The plan was to visit Disney during the boys' April school vacation beginning April 20. When I was researching possible vacations I was surprised to see that the crowd forecast was lower than I expected since Easter is two weeks prior. Decision made, we had to wait until this morning to book the flights when Southwest expanded their dates. My original plan was to do 6 days, 5 nights departing Providence on Monday and returning Saturday. I still hadn't decided to book Wilderness Lodge since we love it so much or try something different like Yacht or Beach Club.

I was up early to reserve the flights and had more difficulty than I expected. Many of the flights over the weekend were sold out, unavailable or really pricey. I priced out a number of scenarios and eventually decided to leave Tuesday, April 21 and return the following Monday. The boys will have to miss one day of school but I think that's ok since they haven't missed any days so far. I took one last look at the hotel rates and availability. It was coming down to a bunk bed room at WL vs. a Garden View room at YC. I went with YC!! I'm going to miss WL but I think the YC will make it seem like a new destination for us since we've only ever stayed at WL.

I started my vacation spreadsheet and so far this is what I have planned based on crowd calendar, EMH, etc.:

Tues: Travel day, pool, no park
Wed: AK
Thurs: MK
Fri: Epcot
Sat: HS
Sun: MK
Mon: Epcot, home

So far I've made only one ADR for Sunday at the Crystal Palace at 8:20 to get into the park early and get some nice pictures. I sprang for the Memory Maker since I want to have lots of pictures of the four of us. The photo above is one of two of the four of us from the last trip. I'm the photographer and it's usually an ordeal to have DH take my picture.

That's it for now. I'm looking forward to more planning. Thanks for reading.



Table of Contents

Must Do
ADRs Take One
MDE and Magic Band Colors
More Dining Ideas
FP+ Take One
Disney Mail!
Pin Trading
Countdown and Movie Night
Pin Pics and "Little Farmers"
"Final" ADRs
Maleficent and More ADR Changes
Alex & Ani Bracelets
Spring Discounts
99 Days til Disney!
Final FP+ Requests
I need to stop reading dining reviews.

 

[ursalita]

I've been reading through these boards quite a bit in preparation for the trip. One of the things I've been doing is making a list of things we haven't experienced yet that we are going to try to do this time. Here's my top 10 (in no particular order):

1. Hall of Presidents
2. PhilharMagic
3. Turtle Talk
4. Main Street Electrical Parade
5. Fantasmic
6. Illuminations
7. Rope Drop at all parks (or any park)
8. Animation Station
9. Jedi Training
10. Test Track

Looking at this list I can't believe we've been 3 times as a family and haven't experienced some of these things.

 

[ursalita]

For this trip we decided not to do the dining plan. We did free dining during our first trip and liked the dining plan. I think at the time they included appetizers. For our second trip we paid OOP for dining. The last trip I gambled that they would offer free dining in October so went with the dining plan. Unfortunately they didn't offer dining during Columbus Day week but I got a room discount instead.

I really didn't like the dining plan, not just because I had to pay for it but because of all the desserts. I'm one of those people that think the dining plan is too much food but only because desserts are included. When our family eats out we usually split desserts. I went without the dining plan because I like the flexibility of ordering appetizers or splitting entrees.

I finalized my ADRs - one per day of the trip:

Tuesday: Flying Fish @7:15

This is the day we arrive so we're not doing a park this day. My plan is to check into the room, familiarize ourselves with the area, and get in some pool time. I know that after the New England winter the boys will be DYING for the pool. This night we will have our one and only signature meal. I thought I'd be going with California Grill but after reading numerous dining reports I know this is the best restaurant for our family since we all love fish.

Wednesday: Beaches & Cream @6:40

On this day we will visit AK which is our least favorite of the parks. We will probably eat lunch at Flame Tree BBQ since we've never tried it and I've heard good things. We will probably be back to the YC early and Beaches & Cream is one of the restaurants in the area that we really want to try.

Thursday: Grand Floridian Cafe @1:15

For this day I thought we would take a break from MK mid-day and visit a monorail resort for lunch. I loved the Wave at the Contemporary and Kona at the Poly last trip but we've never been to GF. I looked at the menus and I thought the GF Cafe menu was the best fit.

Friday: Biergarten @7:30

This restaurant was a favorite with my husband from prior visits so I had to make sure we went back this trip. I scheduled a later dinner so we can easily stay for Illuminations afterwards.

Saturday: Sci-Fi @12:30

This was not my first choice but I think it will please my family. They really enjoyed 50's Prime Time but I wanted to try something different. I voted for Hollywood Brown Derby which would have better food but DH liked the look of Sci-Fi and the boys will probably enjoy the setting.

Sunday: Crystal Palace @8:20

I really love the idea of getting to enter MK before opening and getting to have Main Street to ourselves (mostly) and the pictures to prove it. If it wasn't for reading these boards it never would have occurred to me. Besides Biergarten this will be the only other repeat from prior trips. We've already done the character meet but we've never done the breakfast so I think it will be fun.

Monday: San Angel @12:50

For our last day we had to book a lunch. This was a tough one since there are a bunch of restaurants in Epcot I want to try. Garden Grill was tempting but we already have a character meal. I love French food but DH isn't a fan. We have great Japanese and Italian at home so we could eliminate those restaurants. It came down to Rose & Crown and San Angel and DH opted for Mexican.

Obviously none of these are set in stone, I have lots of times to adjust. I'd value any feedback or advice anyone has on ADRs or dining.

 

[ursalita]

Today I spent some time on My Disney Experience. I updated the colors of our Magic Bands even though I have until March 21st to do it.

I gave DH blue, Aidan wanted green and Sammy chose red, his second favorite color, since there was no black. There really should be black. I chose pink and when Sammy asked why I chose pink I told him it's for girls. He said, "There's no such thing as girl colors or boy colors."

My kids surprise me sometimes by how smart they are. I try to teach them these things but sometimes I find myself perpetuating these stereotypes and I'm so proud of my kid for calling me on it. So I went back in and changed it to yellow. I like pink but the yellow is really pretty, too.

I also saw that our names were still attached to our Magic Bands from last year, the old Halloween Party ticket and a KTTW card that might be from the trip back in January of 2011. Can that be? They were showing as active still so I deactivated all of them. I don't know if it makes any difference and it was a tedious process but I feel better about it now.

 

[PippiDancer]

I am going to be in Disney during that week too! I had the same problem with flights. I ended up having to move my arrival day and spent way more money than I wanted to. Oh well, it will be worth it for a week at Disney! Can't wait to hear the rest of your plans!

 

[ursalita]

I am going to be in Disney during that week too! I had the same problem with flights. I ended up having to move my arrival day and spent way more money than I wanted to. Oh well, it will be worth it for a week at Disney! Can't wait to hear the rest of your plans!

Oh, yay! My first commenter. Thank you for saying "hi."

The flights were all over the place. We ended up saving about $1000 total in airfare by shifting the dates and extending it by a day. We could have saved another $500 in airfare if we'd done 7 days (Tuesday the 21st til the 28th) but the extra night hotel and food would have made it a wash and the kids would have had to miss another day of school. I wouldn't have minded staying longer at Disney but DH wanted a shorter 5 day trip so we compromised. I'm really happy the way it worked out.

 

[ursalita]

I am so excited about this trip! I did some more meal planning. I've already made my table service reservations but there are a lot of quick service places I want to try. I looked at our schedule and tried to plan all of our meals for the trip. This is what I came up with:

Tuesday, April 21: This is the day we arrive. I already have an ADR for Flying Fish @ 7:15. I'm not sure exactly when we'll get in. The flight is due to arrive at MCO at 12:20. I don't know if it makes sense to grab something for lunch at the airport or to eat when we get to the Yacht Club. If we wait I think Hurricane Hanna's would do for lunch.

Wednesday, April 22: I want to try breakfast at Ale & Compass lounge since I heard that the coffee is good. We will then head to AK and have lunch at Flame Tree BBQ. Dinner will be at Beaches & Cream at 6:40.

Thursday, April 23: I would like to make rope drop on this day so I thought we could grab breakfast at Main Street Bakery. I know they have good coffee, does anyone know if they have good food for breakfast? We are going to hop over to GF for lunch since we've never been. Our reservation is for Grand Floridian Cafe at 1:15. I am looking forward to trying Columbia Harbour House for dinner at MK.

Friday, April 24: We are heading to Epcot so I'm looking forward to trying Les Halles Boulangerie but if all else fails there is Starbucks. For lunch we will have Yorkshire Fish or Tangerine Cafe. It's tough to choose from so many good quick service choices at Epcot. We have dinner reservations at Biergarten at 7:30.

Saturday, April 25: We want to get the boys into Jedi Training at HS on this day so we will come to the park first thing. Based on my research I think we will try to grab something for breakfast at Starring Rolls and grab lunch at ABC Commissary. I changed my lunch reservation at Sci-Fi to dinner at 6:45.

Sunday, April 26: This is the morning we will enter MK early for our 8:20 breakfast at Crystal Palace. I hope to try the waffle sandwiches at Sleepy Hollow for lunch. Since we plan to spend the whole day at MK I broke my rule and scheduled a second ADR for dinner at the Plaza Restaurant at 7:20.

Monday, April 27: We plan to have breakfast at Boardwalk Bakery before our final park day at Epcot. We have a lunch ADR at San Angel Inn @12:50 before going home.

 

[ursalita]

Today I organized my FastPass+ priorities. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. For each park I looked at all of the attractions that offered FP, consulted the FP thread here and picked the best ones for us. It was easy because my kids won't do the scarier rides and they're not interested in meeting most characters. I didn't think the shows or parades were worth the FP. Maybe I'm wrong and I would welcome any advice/criticism of my plans.

Wednesday, April 22: Animal Kingdom
1) Kali River Rapids; 2) Dinosaur; 3) Safari
We plan on hitting this park for EMH at 8am. Hopefully we can do the Safari first thing and then ride it again with FP. We've never rode Dinosaur, I'm hoping it won't be too scary for the boys. I plan to ride Everest in the Single Rider Lane since I can't get any of the boys to come with me. I considered using a FP for the Lion King or Nemo show since we've never seen them and I really want to hit at least one. From what I've read there isn't much of an advantage to FP for this but I will choose a FP for one of these if I have trouble getting any of my first choices.

Thursday, April 23: Magic Kingdom
1) Meet Anna & Elsa, 2) Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, 3)Peter Pan's Flight, 4)Big Thunder Mountain
I'm not sure if the boys will want to meet Anna & Elsa but I want to make sure I get it since it's the hottest ticket in town. I asked them today - Aidan says yes, Sammy says no. We'll see how they feel 60 days out. I think we've only done Peter Pan on one prior trip so it's a must do this trip. If I can't get Anna and Elsa I'll try for BTMR. There's a chance Aidan will go with me because he did it two trips ago and remembered it was fun. He did Splash Mountain last trip and refuses to do it again so it's hit or miss at this point.

Friday, April 24: Epcot
1) Soarin', 2) Test Track, 3) Turtle Talk with Crush
Epcot has the easiest FP plan. The first two are self-explanatory. We've never done Turtle Talk and this was a goal of the trip so the third choice was obvious.

Saturday, April 25: Hollywood Studios
1) TSMM, 2) Star Tours, 3) Tower of Terror, 4)Frozen Sing Along
Again I don't think the first two choices need explanation. My third choice is really just wishful thinking on my part. I'm hoping I can get my family to try this ride since it's not a coaster but it's probably not realistic. I think the Frozen sing along will be my alternative since the boys liked Frozen and they like the music.

Sunday, April 26: Magic Kingdom
1) BOG Lunch, 2)Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, 3)Haunted Mansion, 4)Pirates of the Caribbean
Originally I wasn't going to go for a BOG FP but I think I will try for a later time on this day. We have a before park opening ressie for CP so if we can get a later lunch that will be perfect and I'll cancel our dinner at the Plaza (would Liberty Tree be a better choice?) I thought it would make sense to do the mine train FP again since it's new. I didn't really have a clear third choice so Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are two rides we missed out on last 2 trips that we definitely want to hit this time. Maybe I'll just FP these two and skip 7DMT.

Monday, April 27: EPCOT
1)Soarin', 2)Test Track, 3)Mission Space
Again this was really easy. My family will love Soarin' and TT so I'm sure we'll want to ride them again. For the third choice we'll try Mission Space but we'll definitely have to go Green if we do it at all. If I think we'll have a problem getting the boys on this one I'll just pick Living with the Land because we love that.

I'm not sure how much more I can plan at this point. I know once we start getting into the holidays I won't be as focused on this trip but right now it seems like an interminable wait until April.

 

[PippiDancer]

There is a slight problem with your Fastpass selection. Epcot and Hollywood Studios use a tiering system for fps. There are certain attractions that are considered "tier 1" and you can only choose one of those attractions for your 3 fastpasses. It doesn't seem to be a problem for you for Hollywood Studios because TSM is the only tier 1 attraction you chose. However, Soarin and Test Track are both tier 1, so you can only get a fp for one of them each day. But you can get a 4th Fastpass for the other one that day after you use your other 3. Since you have 2 Epcot days plans, I suggest you pick Soarin for one day and Test Track for the other day.

Also, I don't know for sure how the Be Our Guest Fastpass works, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't work the same as the others. I don't think you can book it at the same time that your Fastpass window opens. Maybe only 30 days out, I'm not really sure. Also I think I read that it doesn't count as your 3 fastpasses. But I could be wrong about that.

 

[ursalita]

There is a slight problem with your Fastpass selection. Epcot and Hollywood Studios use a tiering system for fps. There are certain attractions that are considered "tier 1" and you can only choose one of those attractions for your 3 fastpasses. It doesn't seem to be a problem for you for Hollywood Studios because TSM is the only tier 1 attraction you chose. However, Soarin and Test Track are both tier 1, so you can only get a fp for one of them each day. But you can get a 4th Fastpass for the other one that day after you use your other 3. Since you have 2 Epcot days plans, I suggest you pick Soarin for one day and Test Track for the other day.

Also, I don't know for sure how the Be Our Guest Fastpass works, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't work the same as the others. I don't think you can book it at the same time that your Fastpass window opens. Maybe only 30 days out, I'm not really sure. Also I think I read that it doesn't count as your 3 fastpasses. But I could be wrong about that.

Thank you for the feedback on my FP+. I was aware of the "tiering" but I guess I didn't understand it correctly. I updated my EPCOT FP to Day 1: 1) Soarin', 2) Turtle Talk with Crush 3)Spaceship Earth; and Day 2: 1) Test Track, 2) Mission Space, 3)Living with the Land. For BOG, I will keep that in mind and check on the rules with it before I reserve them. Thanks!!

 

[PippiDancer]

Thank you for the feedback on my FP+. I was aware of the "tiering" but I guess I didn't understand it correctly. I updated my EPCOT FP to Day 1: 1) Soarin', 2) Turtle Talk with Crush 3)Spaceship Earth; and Day 2: 1) Test Track, 2) Mission Space, 3)Living with the Land. For BOG, I will keep that in mind and check on the rules with it before I reserve them. Thanks!!

I believe Living with the Land is considered tier 1 also. I have no idea why. Check out this thread on fastpass+ it really helped me figure everything out.
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3326057

Also, I found this thread last night that explains the BOG fps, you might find it helpful
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3310867

 

[ursalita]

Clearly I have more work to do before I book my FP selections. I guess I'll replace Living with the Land with The Seas or the character meet. It's a good thing I have more time.

In other news my Magical Express booklet and luggage tags came today! I also got another set of luggage tags in a separate envelope with a note: "Enclosed are the additional DME luggage tags you requested." I didn't but thanks anyway, Disney. They are so thoughtful.



I also got the INCREDIBLE Vacation! booklet. I was glad to see that they included the date that I can start booking my FP+ and online check-in. I was actually worrying that I wouldn't be able to figure out the exact 60-day mark. I was all, when I count back do I count the day we arrive or start with the day before? I'm such a spaz! This is helpful:



I plugged this date into my calendar so I won't miss my chance to get the Anna & Elsa meet. Fingers crossed.

 

[Sisa]

Hi, following along!

All your planning looks good to a newbie like me

The Yacht Club looks amazing, I am sure it will be a slightly different experience being at a different hotel this time.

I am curious to see how you liked going in April. I see you've been in September and October, how did you like going in Fall?

Mickey Mail...seriously nothing better than that! I cannot wait to get anything official regarding our trip in the mail but that requires official booking which hopefully I will do soon.

 

[ursalita]

Hi, following along!

All your planning looks good to a newbie like me

The Yacht Club looks amazing, I am sure it will be a slightly different experience being at a different hotel this time.

I am curious to see how you liked going in April. I see you've been in September and October, how did you like going in Fall?

Mickey Mail...seriously nothing better than that! I cannot wait to get anything official regarding our trip in the mail but that requires official booking which hopefully I will do soon.

Hey! Thanks for coming by.

I love Disney in the fall.

When we went in September Aidan wasn't 3 yet and I was pregnant with Sam so we didn't have to worry about school. The weather was great, lines were short, and they offered free dining. Last year we took Aidan out of school for 4 days on Columbus Day week. We missed out on free dining because of the holiday but it was still beautiful weather and shorter lines.

If it wasn't for school I would prefer to go in the fall for all of the reasons I talked about. Unfortunately I don't feel comfortable taking the boys out of school since Aidan is in 3rd grade and it's starting to get real. In some ways it stinks that they have to grow up.

I am worried that April will be a lot busier than what we're used to. Though the crowd calendars are about average since Easter is 2 weeks before our trip, I'm worried that a lot of schools have April break the same week and it will be a lot more crowded than what we're used to. On the bright side I love the idea of going someplace warm in early spring. It's already well below freezing here so we're looking at a long winter. Florida is going to be amazing in April even if it's starting to warm up here by then.

 

[ksl5f123]

I am new to your TR, but wanted to stop in and say "hi!". You have really been doing a lot of planning! I think your ADRs look great. You have some wonderful choices. I have been wanting to try Flying Fish for a while so I am looking forward to hearing about how you like it.

I think you are going to find crowds pretty low at that time. Most southern schools have spring break in March, so I think those crowds will clear out before you arrive.

 

[ursalita]

I am new to your TR, but wanted to stop in and say "hi!". You have really been doing a lot of planning! I think your ADRs look great. You have some wonderful choices. I have been wanting to try Flying Fish for a while so I am looking forward to hearing about how you like it.

I think you are going to find crowds pretty low at that time. Most southern schools have spring break in March, so I think those crowds will clear out before you arrive.

Thanks for saying hi!

We are really looking forward to Flying Fish. I've wanted to try Cali Grill every trip but never made it. For this trip I thought the proximity to the Boardwalk made the choice a no-brainer. Although I've been obsessively reading dining and trip reports and there are soooooo many restaurants I want to try I may end up adding some ADRs.

I'm happy to hear you're optimistic about the crowds. Either way it will be awesome to be there.

 

[ursalita]

Today out of nowhere I decided that we are going to try pin trading this trip. Well, maybe not out of nowhere. I've been reading A LOT of trip reports lately so I'm sure that's where I got the idea. During prior trips I had never been the least bit interested in trading and my sons hadn't expressed interest in it. I think it will actually be the perfect activity for DS9.

Aidan is really into collecting and trading Pokemon cards right now. When I floated the idea past him and showed him the pins he was on board. I think it will be really good for him to have a reason to interact with CMs/strangers. He's very shy but when he has something to talk to someone about he really comes out of his shell. I'm excited to see him interact with CMs to trade pins.

So today I spent an embarrassing amount of time researching pin trading. I was so unsure about where to get the pins. Not Disney, of course. Actually, I tried the Disney store but there were very few options. There are tons of sellers on ebay, Amazon, etc. but it seems certain that many if not all of the pins you get will be "scrappers." But there also seemed to be the idea that it didn't really matter if you are trading with CMs. If you are a serious pin trader, please excuse my ignorance. I get the importance of collecting authentic pins, I really do. It was hard for me to make the purchase from Amazon knowing I am probably supporting the counterfeit pin traders.

After going back and forth all day I finally decided to purchase a set of 50 pins to split between both my sons. I also ordered a few lanyards, maybe I'll give it a try also. I am really anxious to get the pins and see how they look. I guess I will be able to view the authentic pins online to determine if the pins are fake or not. Then I can determine if trading them at WDW will be appropriate. Am I putting way too much thought into this or not enough? IDEK anymore.

I should get them in a few days from Amazon Prime so I will post pics of what we get for anyone who might be interested.

 

[ksl5f123]

I hear you! It is so hard to decide where to buy pins. They are so expensive at WDW. When we buy some there, I want the kids to keep them and not trade. The risk of counterfeit is so high buying anywhere else. Ugh! So frustrating!

I bought a set a few years ago and my girls have loved trading pins and wearing their lanyards. The only problem is that now they are out of "traders". They love all the pins they have. I guess I am going to have to buy a new set for them to trade.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Just a thought. How about drop Animal Kingdom all together. From your own words "it is your least favorite park" and that coupled with the fact you have visited it just a year ago. Drop it!

I say this cause we are planning our trip (57 days count down) and I just tossed AK and added more MK days. We have seen everything in AK and visited in 2013 & 2014. I didn't care for it the first time, pretty much the same the second time. Sorry AK your gone!

Happy planning!

 

[Sisa]

Good to know you loved going in Fall. Totally understand not wanting to take a 3rd grader out of school. I would have a tough time doing that too.

I'm sure it will be a nice change going in April and yes warmer than home is always a bonus.

Ooh, pin trading. I too have considered that, but I think my kids are still a little too young. I think it's perfect for your kids and glad they are happy with the idea. I am curious to hear what you think of the pins you ordered as that was what I was planning to do as well.