Is it November yet?! Here we go 'round the World again!

[smkohn]

So, I've never done a trip report or pre-trip report before, but it looked like fun (and I'm trying to find new fun and exciting ways to procrastinate on the Brit Lit paper I'm supposed to be writing). Let's kick this thing off with covering the basics-the who, what, where, when, and why.
Who: Me! 22, turning 23 before the trip. I'm a college student finishing up my undergrad classes, getting ready to apply for grad school. Been a Disney lover for longer than I can remember. I used to work down there full time as a DCP particpant (best 5 months ever) and now I can't stay away for too long
My boyfriend, Andy. 26, turning 27 before we leave. Been with him for 3 years now, and we actually started dating when I was down on my college program. He wasn't a huge fan of the World when we first started dating, but that's only because nobody ever showed him the right way to tour Now he's a certified pin addict and Disney-phile. This will be our 3rd trip down together.
Here's us from our first time in Disney together

And here's us from our trip last summer (don't mind how awful I look here...Kali River Rapids was unkind to me...)

Also joining us this trip are my sister, Julie, brother-in-law Ben, 13-year-old nephew Justin, and 5-year-old niece Kaitlynn.

What: Obviously a trip to WDW. 7 days of fun!
Where: Andy and I will be staying at Old Key West, my sister and co. will be staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
When: November 8th-November 15th
Why: Come on now, do we really need a specific reason

So, that's the general stuff. Coming up, the stories of how the lodging came about, dining plans, and other fun things we'll be doing!

 

[MinnieLovesMickey]

I'm in! Can't wait to hear more. My family and I will be in the world at that same time!

 

[smkohn]

Hopefully this doesn't get too away from me as time goes by. I'm determined to see this through to a full-blown trip report when we're down there/when we get back!
Our next chapter, a story of lodging.
So, as I mentioned, my boyfriend and I will be staying at Old Key West, while my sister and her family stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We will both being staying at villas on DVC points. Originally, we had wanted to all stay together at Bay Lake Tower in a 2-bedroom villa. It was completely available for our week...up until the day before our 7-month window We were planning on using my sister's points for 4 nights and our points for the other 3 nights, so we had thought maybe my sister could book the nights available and then I could waitlist the nights that weren't available. Then we decided that might not be the best move, because what if our waitlist doesn't come through at all then we have some nights covered and other nights not covered. The whole thing was becoming a nightmare.
So then we looked at other options for 2-bedroom villas. My boyfriend and I wanted to stay at WL, with our second choice being OKW, and Boardwalk or Beach Club coming in 3rd. My sister and brother-in-law wanted to stay at AKL because of the extra bathroom. Andy and I had stayed there on our last trip, and we just weren't huge fans. Not really sure what it was, but we found it kind of boring and not really our style. Neither side was really willing to give in, so we decided to split up our lodging and just make sure to meet up with them in the morning. Currently, Andy and I are waitlisted for the week at WL and hoping for some pixie dust to come through I'm trying to talk him into doing a split stay between OKW and WL so that we can experience both, but he's not sure he wants to switch hotels mid-way through. I'll let you know how the convincing goes. In the meantime, send any extra pixie dust you happen to have lying around and good vibes that our waitlist comes through!

 

[smkohn]

Alright, the ADRs are officially made
Here's our dining break down for the trip. We will be taking advantage of the regular Disney Dining Plan, mainly because we like have our food paid for before we go. One less thing to worry about.
Arrival Day: We will be having lunch at Via Napoli. We decided on a lunch for day 1 instead of a dinner since we will be catching the tail end of the Food and Wine festival. This way we can kind of munch our way through at night instead of having a sit-down dinner. I've never been to Via Napoli before, but I hear it is phenomenal and am really looking forward to trying it.
Day 2: We will be paying OOP for a breakfast at Chef Mickey's. We had talked about doing a breakfast, and my sister wanted to do Hollywood and Vine to see the Disney Junior gang. My boyfriend, however, really wanted to do Chef Mickey's. He told us when he was little his uncle used to take his cousins there every trip and he never got to go but has always wanted to. We decided to grant him his wish this trip
Then after a day of fun at MK, we're headed over to the Poly for dinner at Ohana. I've only ever been for breakfast, so I'm looking forward to trying a different meal there (though I will desperately miss the wonderful Passionfruit Orange Guava juice from breakfast).
Day 3: Dinner at Coral Reef. Tried it on our trip last June for the first time. Was a bit worried about it after all of the mixed reviews I had read on here, but Andy loves seafood and large fish tanks so I booked it with him in mind. We both loved it. My sister and brother in law have never been, so it will be a new experience for them.
Day 4: Dinner at Yak & Yeti. I am very excited about this one. We loved our meal there last June, and I have been raving (and dreaming) about the mango pie dessert ever since. Its heavenly! My ribs were great last time, but I'm thinking of giving something else a try this time 'round.
Day 5: Dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe before my very first MVMCP! Still hoping to score at least a couple nights at Wilderness Lodge so that we can spend the morning at our pool and then head right to the restaurant from our room. The situation isn't going well though (more on that later, this is about delicious, happy dining planning). I've never been to WCC, but I've always wanted to go. It should be a lot of fun.
Day 6: Dinner at the Garden Grill. This will also be a new one for me. I used to work custodial at Epcot, and whenever I would work the Land pavilion, I would walk by and wish I could be having the delicious food everyone else was having there. It has been on my list of places to try ever since. So happy to finally be able to experience it, and of course visit my former boss, the big cheese himself, dressed in full on farmer drab.
Day 7: Ending things off at 50's Prime Time. I've only been there once before, but I don't remember it much. It wasn't the top on our list, but we were looking to stay in Hollywood Studios and the choices are fairly limited. I'm sure it'll be fun though.

So, there we have it. 7 days of delicious Disney dining. A nice mix of favorite restaurants and new restaurants. I recently made a list of places I have never been to, and realized there are a whole lot, so I'm slowly trying to get around to giving them a shot.

 

[smkohn]

Quick update for whoever may be lurking and my one follower
Still no Pixie Dust on the Wilderness Lodge dates...all booked up except for that Wed night. However, I did talk Andy into a split stay. We will now be doing 4 nights at OKW, my home away from home, and the last 3 nights at the Boardwalk! When I was younger I didn't ever want to stay anywhere except for OKW, but now I am extremely excited to experience a new resort. This will be my first time ever at BWV, and I think I am most looking forward to the walk over to Epcot. It is hands down our favorite park. I am also excited because I'm planning a bit of a surprise for Andy this trip, a nice custom cake, and now I'm thinking of having it delivered to our room from the Boardwalk bakery. Still waitlisted for Wilderness, but I think I'll be just as happy to experience this.