I started my TR ~ A Wish Come True ~ August/September 2009 Pre-Trip Report

[nu2wdisneyw]

Did I lose my readers?? No, please don’t bail on me now…we are getting so close to the gold. Only a few weeks left and I need my DIS friends to get me through it. Well as promised Day 3. I am going to try and complete a day/day this week so that I can get my itineraries done.

Day 3: Magic Kingdom – August 31, 2009; Park hours: 9 am – 10pm

OMG…this is the day I have been waiting for, for 5 years!!! I loved MK when we visited in 2004…I wish I could live there!! When we went in 2004, we had NO idea the size and the amount of things to do in this park. We didn’t arrive to the park until about 12:30 pm…I know, I know…that was WAAAAYYYY before I found the DIS.

Well this trip we will definitely do things a little differently. My plan is to be there at rope drop. So I figured a 7 am wake up would be just fine. I mean we will already have our stuff laid out for the day, and the boys will have bathed the night before. We will probably do breakfast in the room this day…maybe some cereal or bagels. I want to make sure we are leaving SSR by 8:30pm.

Okay remember I am using Ridemax…so I am putting the attractions in order based on their recommendations…OH YEAH, the plan is to only attack ½ of the park this day…as we will be back later in the week.

• Dumbo
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• IASW
• Cinderella’s Carrousel
• Mickey’s Philharmagic
• Haunted Mansion
• Get FP for Splash Mountain
• Pirates
• Aladdin
• Free time for about 3.5 hrs; we will have lunch and visit some attractions not planned for the day, or repeat some from the morning.
o We may ride Splash Mountain…depending on the wait time
• FP for Jungle Cruise
• Dreams Come True Parade – this is up for debate…we may leave the park around 1 pm to swim and take a nap.
• Head back to the resort after the parade (if we attend). Maybe swim for a 1 hr, shower and rest for the evening.
• Dinner
• BTMR and Jungle Cruise
• Splash Mountain if there is time before Spectromagic
• SpectroMagic and Wishes (boy, I hope I see Tink !!)

So those are my plans for Day 1 of MK…as you can see we have a lot of free time built in…DH hates schedules…he wants to take it leisurely. So I am just going to make sure we get the necessary stuff done first and then take our time. I just needed to make sure our plan was very flexible!!
Love to hear what you think!!


Thanks for reading…if anyone is out there!?!

 

[ZeroToHero]

Yep, I'm here! We'll be there the night before... for the EMH. We will be so tired the next morning...

Did you get your new resort information mailed to you? Or your email confirmation?

I keep forgetting that your kids don't know about it, I want to ask if they're excited....

any progress on the DVDs?

 

[oregonmommyof2]

I am still here!!!

Plans look good!!!

I bought a thermal laminator and laminated our touring plans today... I am very happy with the way it turned out...

 

[accountingbabe08]

Your readers are still here. Your plans look great. Only a few weeks left.

 

[mousescrapper]

Sorry Stephanie...I missed this post somehow...

my thoughts are below:

Day 2 – August 30th – Animal Kingdom Day; Park Hours 9 am – 5 pm.
have a “date” with Donald & Friends at The Tusker House at 8:05 am.

Wake up: 6:15 am –
7:30 am – leave SSR and head to AK. We will have our car, so most likely we will drive.

8:05 am – Breakfast at Tusker House…I believe that we will be here for about 1 hr…maybe a little longer.

I think your timing sounds just right on this.... if you want to meander down the AK paths to Tusker though and take some pictures...do so, don't fret if you are a be bit late for the actual ADR time...but if you want to be rearing to go a little after 9 am when the park opens I may bump up your leave time by a few minutes to allow for parking and walking and not feeling rushed...kwim

Now the rest of the plan is based off of information that I received from RideMax…please let me know if you suggest anything different. We plan to attend these attractions in the order that they are listed:

• Tough to Be a Bug
• Dinosaur
• Nemo
• Get Fastpass for KS or ride if there are no lines
• Free time for about 1.5 hrs before lunch…ride whatever has little to no wait times.
• Ride KS (use FP, if couldn’t ride originally)
• Lunch at Yak Yeti or Pizzafari (whichever the boys want…most likely pizza)
• Festival of LK
• Get ready for the Parade
• Ride KRR
• Ride EE


So, are there any attractions that I am missing?? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Ok my thoughts are why is EE last?, who do you think will ride this? You really should plan on this much earlier or even get FP's for this!

have you checked out Steve Soares site yet for times:

http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/index.htm

this will help judge the times for the shows, (any live entertianment going on)

you're going to need about 20-30 minutes of wait time prior to FotLK & probably Nemo (I assume RM told you this) plus then getting out of those areas is a bit tight (FotLK a bit more so IMHO)... and then the wait time for the parade just to keep that in mind...

only other things not listed are:

the Boneyard? I think your boys would love to play in there (give yourself a good 1/2 hour in there

Flights of Wonder show...is nice, we like it, but Nemo and FotLK are the bigger shows

any of the walking trails or Conservation Station...

I think you can see alot at AK in one day, it just depends on what and how crowded it is, etc and the heat is always a factor here because of the green factor, I'd allow lots of water and rest stops if it is hot and do the outside stuff first or toward closing when it may be less crowded and cooler.

hope this helpful

Scrappie

 

[mousescrapper]

Day 3: Magic Kingdom – August 31, 2009; Park hours: 9 am – 10pm


Well this trip we will definitely do things a little differently. My plan is to be there at rope drop. So I figured a 7 am wake up would be just fine. I mean we will already have our stuff laid out for the day, and the boys will have bathed the night before. We will probably do breakfast in the room this day…maybe some cereal or bagels. I want to make sure we are leaving SSR by 8:30pm.

sounds good...but dependeing how far up you want to be for the RD...you may want to be arriving at MK around 8:30 am...I've only made it to MK rope drop once (not including a pre-park opening ADR) and we got there at 8:45 but we're still on the other side of ther turnstyles and it still took a bit of time to get in...if you are going for the "Do or Die Dumbo" you want to be in front of those turnstyles...


Okay remember I am using Ridemax…so I am putting the attractions in order based on their recommendations…OH YEAH, the plan is to only attack ½ of the park this day…as we will be back later in the week.

• Dumbo
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• IASW
• Cinderella’s Carrousel
• Mickey’s Philharmagic
• Haunted Mansion
• Get FP for Splash Mountain
• Pirates
• Aladdin
• Free time for about 3.5 hrs; we will have lunch and visit some attractions not planned for the day, or repeat some from the morning.
o We may ride Splash Mountain…depending on the wait time
• FP for Jungle Cruise
• Dreams Come True Parade – this is up for debate…we may leave the park around 1 pm to swim and take a nap.
• Head back to the resort after the parade (if we attend). Maybe swim for a 1 hr, shower and rest for the evening.
• Dinner
• BTMR and Jungle Cruise
• Splash Mountain if there is time before Spectromagic
• SpectroMagic and Wishes (boy, I hope I see Tink !!)

COLOR]

Stephanie....this day looks FUN! You should be able to bust through Fantasyland in 1 hour to 1 1 /2 hours if you get distracted...

you can also bump POC to night too...sometimes it can get busy over there during mid day...and you want to factor in some browsing in the gift shop there...it's cool

Where are you going to sit for Spectro? take that into consideration of how long you want to wait...if you're thinking Main Street to not move for Wishes than 1 hour if not more...if you thinking of Liberty Square area and then moving toward MS for Wishes you can do about 45 minutes ahead...

bring some hand held games or activity books to keep the boys amused while waiting....

Can't wait to hear about your trip!

Scrappie

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Still here Stephanie!

Your plans look good! I would highly recommend the walking trails at AK. The tigers and the gorillas are amazing! Also, the Boneyard is a great place to relax a bit and your boys would really enjoy it. Also, if EE is a priority, you may want to add it in earlier or get a FP. That one tends to have long lines for most of the day.

The first MK day is so exciting! I agree with Scrappie on the timing for Spectro. If you want to watch it from Main Street and then stay put for Wishes, plan on claiming your spot at least an hour before parade time. Get some ice cream or popcorn and just make it a fun people-watching time!

We did POC around 5-6pm and it was EMPTY!! Jungle Cruise is one of my favorites! And....if you can stay for the parade, I would. I LOVE the MK parades...they just feel so magical!

I'm so excited for you!

 

[nu2wdisneyw]

So I figured I needed to get myself in order and plan out the things that I needed to do each week. I figured I would post at the end of each week, so you can see all that I accomplished…or didn’t . So here it goes:

• Finish Touring Plans – print and laminate
• Create a master spreadsheet to hang on the fridge at SSR
• Start packing the boy’s clothes; figure out what is left to buy
• Start packing my clothes to determine what I need
• Get Jeff’s clothes together to see what he wants to take.
• Make t-shirts – about 10 total
• Make ID cards for the boys
• Make LGMH
• Finish making the surprise DVD for the car ride…thanks OregonMommy for the music!!
• Make arrangements for Legend…oh yeah I need to introduce the other member of our family.
• Rethink/write our grocery list now that we are in SSR
• Order trading pins from Ebay
• Gather all the PSP & GB games up…order more GB games from Ebay
• Purchase camera…and test it out prior
• Make journals for Jeffery…figured it would give him something to take to school to share his experience.
• Clean the house!!! I want to go through all of the closets and get rid of things we don’t need.
• Braid my hair…going to be too hot to deal with everyday.
• Get oil change and tune-up.
• Print mapquest directions to compare with the gps.

I think that is all…I hope to accomplish and finish most of the shopping next weekend. I already started packing the boy’s clothes. I need to get them a couple of more pairs of shorts. I am sure I am forgetting something from this list. Okay…I need to finish my TPs.

Thanks for reading!

 

[nu2wdisneyw]

Yep, I'm here! We'll be there the night before... for the EMH. We will be so tired the next morning...

Did you get your new resort information mailed to you? Or your email confirmation?

I keep forgetting that your kids don't know about it, I want to ask if they're excited....

any progress on the DVDs?

Hey there Danica!
Yes, they mailed me the new resort information...I am sure you have yours by now too.

I am still working on the DVD...that was put on hold for a little while. My plan is to have it done this week.

 

[nu2wdisneyw]

I am still here!!!

Plans look good!!!

I bought a thermal laminator and laminated our touring plans today... I am very happy with the way it turned out...

I am going to utilize my resources and use the laminator at work!!

Sorry Stephanie...I missed this post somehow...

my thoughts are below:



Ok my thoughts are why is EE last?, who do you think will ride this? You really should plan on this much earlier or even get FP's for this!

This is how Ridemax set it up...I am sure we will all ride...as long as my little one is tall enough. I will look into adding it earlier though.

have you checked out Steve Soares site yet for times:

http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/index.htm

this will help judge the times for the shows, (any live entertianment going on)

for the website...added it to my favorites!

only other things not listed are:

the Boneyard? I think your boys would love to play in there (give yourself a good 1/2 hour in there

I am sure that we will venture off the plan...I think we will use it more as a guide than anything.

hope this helpful

You are always helpful!!

Stephanie....this day looks FUN! You should be able to bust through Fantasyland in 1 hour to 1 1 /2 hours if you get distracted...

Thanks!

Where are you going to sit for Spectro? take that into consideration of how long you want to wait...if you're thinking Main Street to not move for Wishes than 1 hour if not more...if you thinking of Liberty Square area and then moving toward MS for Wishes you can do about 45 minutes ahead...

bring some hand held games or activity books to keep the boys amused while waiting....

Depending on the crowd size...maybe Main Street. We will have the boys PSP and GB to keep them entertained while they are waiting for shows!

Still here Stephanie!
Your plans look good! I would highly recommend the walking trails at AK. The tigers and the gorillas are amazing! Also, the Boneyard is a great place to relax a bit and your boys would really enjoy it. Also, if EE is a priority, you may want to add it in earlier or get a FP. That one tends to have long lines for most of the day.

Yes, we will probably do a lot more exploring than what is listed...this is our first time going so I am not really sure what I need to add and leave out. Next years trip shoudl be a lot easier to plan!!

 

[KathyRN137]

Hooray for three weeks!!

Kathy

 

[nu2wdisneyw]

Hooray for three weeks!!

Kathy

OMG Kathy!
Your weight loss if great! You are totally going to hit your goal before your vacation!!!

 

[nu2wdisneyw]

This is our lazy day…sleep-in late. Have breakfast in the room…I may even make breakfast. Chill by the pool. My original plan when we had the waterpark option was to have this be my waterpark day, but now we are just going to take it easy this day.

I want to go to Beach Club Resort in the afternoon and have a late lunch at Beaches & Cream of course!! My mind if really set on the onion rings and WONDERFUL ice cream. I would like to have lunch no later than 2 pm. After lunch my plan is to arrive to Epcot and tour WS for the evening…end the night with Illuminations. I want to make sure to catch it on this night, because I am not planning to stay for it on our second day in Epcot. We will probably do a CS lunch at Epcot, depending on if we are hungry or not. This may be a night to order a pizza back at the room. We will see. We are going at this day with pretty much no plan…just doing what we feel.

Can you recommend any really good CS place at Epcot…remember I have a REALLY picky family!

Thanks for reading!

 

[Goofy22]

I hear sunshine seasons is really good! I've never been there but know a few ppl that have been.

 

[nu2wdisneyw]

Well I tried to rewrite our grocery list for SSR. Being that we have a full kitchen in the suite, I decided that I would cook breakfast in the room some mornings. Also, I decided to get some lunch meat…in case of the need for a late snack. Most of the items are the same as before…but I did add some things. Here it is:

Milk
Water 35 pk
Bananas
Apples
Juice boxes
flavored water mixes
Snack bars
Cereal
Gummy snacks
snack packs – pretzels, crackers, cookie etc
candies
PopTarts
Bread
Eggs
Bacon
Syrup
Orange juice
Pop – Diet Coke, Mountain Dew
Lunch meat
Cheese
Miracle whip
Chips
Candy

I think we may be bringing too much…but I could always use the lunch meat to make sandwiches for the trip home. Any thoughts?


Thanks for reading!!

 

[nu2wdisneyw]

I hear sunshine seasons is really good! I've never been there but know a few ppl that have been.

Yes...I've read about that place. The one thing that sticks out in my mind is the Strawberry Shortcake!! I am going to check out their menu now!

 

[Goofy22]

Yes...I've read about that place. The one thing that sticks out in my mind is the Strawberry Shortcake!! I am going to check out their menu now!

And I believe the Key Lime Pie was the other vey yummy dessert I've read about!

 

[mousescrapper]

CS places at Epcot if not wanting to venture out into the ethnic foods...

Electric Umbrella in FW...yum burgers indoor eating too

Liberty Cafe (pretty sure that is the name) in USA Pav in WS...we ate there just this past trip (recent post in the TR)

Grocery list looks good. sandwiches are always nice too for a bite by the pool too.

I think the grocery list is gonna be a stumper for me too on the next trip w/ first time staying DVC....going to take a few trips to get it down. But if you plan according to what meals you would not be eating on in the parks...that should be a nice rule of thumb to go by

It's getting close...fun to see your to-do-list windle down...

 

[mommytothreeboys]

I'm going to second the suggestion to try Sunshine Seasons. There is a lot of variety there and fairly common food...nothing out of the ordinary...that will appeal to the picky eater. (Oh..and I had that strawberry shortcake and it WAS good!) The burgers at the Liberty Tavern in the USA pavilion are tasty too.

The grocery list looks good. Those are a lot of the same items I pack...not the eggs/bacon, etc, of course....but the snacks. Lunchmeat is always a good idea. My boys like to just roll it up and eat it as a snack.

Don't you love to see items get crossed of your list!!

 

[tinkerbell3747]

Hey Hun,

I know I have been MIA for quite sometime.....was off vacationing so I had to catch up first. Loving the TP so far so good. My only suggestion would be to work in getting fast pass for EE on your AK Day as this attraction is sure to have a long long line later in the day..... I also sent you a PM

looking foward to more....
Shakisha