Last Minute Trip (5/20-5/26) - Not Such a Shabby Itinerary, If I Say So Myself

[maggnanimouse]

I'm going to have a trip coming up from May 20th to May 26th, which I didn't book until a little over a week ago, on April 11th!! The last minute nature of the trip was due to a few factors.

In the normal world, I live and work in Los Angeles. But since my company has been working remotely since March 2020, I decided to come back to Pennsylvania in August and live with my parents and spend time with family while I have the opportunity. It's been so nice getting to spend this much time with them, while also keeping the job I really enjoy. A silver lining of Covid, I guess!

I was recently vaccinated, and after giving it some thought, I figured it was as good a time as there would ever be to go to WDW. 1) Flights from PIT would be cheaper/shorter than LA to MCO, 2) my parents will be able to babysit the dog, 3) this is probably the only time I'll get to visit with park capacity as low as it is, and 4) it's only a matter of time until I'm called back into the office and return to LA. So I called up my best friend, and we decided to book it.

I just joined this site today, but I am just so excited for the trip that I can't contain myself. I think I came up with a pretty good schedule on such a short time frame that I wanted to share it with folks I know will appreciate it. No one I know offline would likely know enough to give a hoot.

The only caveat, and real bummer, is that there were no park passes left for Hollywood Studios by the time I booked. I'm bummed about not getting to ride Rise of the Resistance, but I'm a fairly regular visitor at Disneyland, so I'm not that put out. I'll get to ride before long.

So without further ado, here's the schedule I was able to cobble together.. I'm also just getting used to the abbreviations and lingo, so bear with me:

Day 1: Magic Kingdom

-Super early flight out of PIT, and land at MCO at 9:30 AM
-DME to AoA, stash bags
-Make our way to Magic Kingdom
-Lunch reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern

^This is subject to change. I love this restaurant, but on further reflection, such a heavy meal may not be a great way to start our trip​

-Bop around MK for a while
-Hop to Epcot
-Dinner reservation at Rose and Crown Dining Room

^I'd actually appreciate some input here. I've never eaten here before, and I'm wondering if it's worth it, or if we should just grab some drinks at the pub. I'm a Guinness fanatic, so I definitely want to sample one of there pub blends, regardless.​

​

Day 2: Off Day

-Originally, we were considering going to Universal for our day off, specifically to visit the Harry Potter sections. But we have both been Universal Studio Hollywood pass holders, and have spent many hours in LA Hogsmeade, which is identical to Florida Hogsmeade.

We ultimately decided to book a day at Discovery Cove. We didn't have any real plans to rest, or sit poolside, so we thought this would be a really nice way to spend the day. I've been to DC as a child, but I was so young it feels like a fever dream. I'm actually looking forward to swimming with fishes and floating down the lazy river, rather than spending another day battling the crowds and crazy wait times at Universal Studios.

We'll make it to Diagon Alley one day!

-Since DC closes at 5PM, we will meander back to the resort, shower, and then head to Disney Springs for a dinner reservation at Paddlefish.

Day 3: EPCOT

-I'm still trying to decipher the best way to make it to the parks for rope drop. And by rope drop, I mean the "secret" extra 30-45 minutes before the park opening. Any advice is welcome!
-Lunch reservations at Chefs de France. This was one was near the top of my friend's to-do list, but not necessarily my own. I'm thinking about just getting some soup (and maybe some escargots, if I'm feeling adventurous), because I really want to take advantage of the special Outdoor Kitchens. I've got a list of food and drinks a mile long for Epcot!
-After lunch, I think we'll probably ride for a while. I told her that just going back and forth from Living With the Land to Spaceship Earth would solve 90% of my problems.
-In the evening, I anticipate hopping to Hollywood Studios, since we don't have park passes. There have been SO MANY changes to this park since my last visit (2015). I'm really bummed about the backlot tour being gone, and that cool exhibit situation with the movie costumes and props. I don't even remember the name of it. But it was dope. All I know is that I saw 10,000 TikToks recreating the Woody's Lunchbox grilled cheese, and now that is my one non-negotionable for this entire trip.
-I'm also bummed that the "Ronto-less Roaster" offered in DL's Galaxy's Edge is not on the menu at WDW. I'm not a vegan, and it was acually my very first meat substitute I ever ate, but I fell in love with it. Good thing DL is re-opening!!

Day 4: ANIMAL KINGDOM

-To be frank, I'm not a huge Animal Kingdom fan. I have a fair bit of nostalgia for the Tree and It's Tough to be a Bug, because the year it opened was probably the first time I have lasting, solid memories of a WDW trip.
-I plan to rope drop and speed walk to Pandora and get the Avatar rides "out of the way"
-With Pandora, Safaris, and Expedition Everest accomplished, I'd be pretty satisfied with the AK park entirely.
-I have all fingers and toes crossed that Festival of the Lion King is open in time for our trip. "Mid-May" seems promising enough!
-Lunch reservation at Rainforest Cafe

-This is also subject to change. The food is terrible, but the ambience is...also kind of terrible. I don't know what it is, but my friend and I both just love this restaurant. I was wondering if the current rules would allow us to walk to up the bar just for drinks, with or without a reservation. Insight is welcome!!​

-After rainforest, we'll hop to HS
-We will ride and snack until our 8:30 reservation at Oga's Cantina. I was convinced we would not get into Oga's, but touringplans.com worked its magic, and here we are!! I can't wait to numb my lips with that fuzzy tauntaun. Drink recommendations welcome! When I visited in Oga's in DL, I got the fuzzy tauntaun and the blue wine, which I was dismayed to discover was just white wine dyed blue. Loved that tauntaun, though.

Day 5: EPCOT, Again

-Neither of us has been to WDW since turning 21. Actually, that's not true. I went in 2015, but with family, half of which were younger than me. But we plan to do a loose "drink around the world." I'm not married to the idea of actually hitting every pavilion, but I would appreciate a decent sampling.
-From what I've read, it's an unspoken rule to start in Mexico. Is this true?!
-We're not whippersnappers, so I'm thinking heading back to the hotel for a short nap might be in order, because....
-We have a 7:30PM reservation at Le Cellier! Thank you, touringplans. I've been here a few times, but never had the cheddar cheese soup. Is it as good as it sounds?

Day 6: MAGIC KINGDOM, Again

-Final day in the parks!
-We have an early lunch reservation at the Grand Floridian Cafe. I've never been to the Grand Floridian, but I'm pretty psyched. Their menu caters very nicely to my picky-eater palate. Hello steak and eggs!!
-Make our way to Magic Kingdom to ride and snack the day away
-Maaaaaaybe some last minute park hopping in the daytime if there's something imperative we missed.
-Finishing the trip off with an 8:00 PM dinner at Be Our Guest. Another instance of touringplans.com being the absolute GOAT. I can't think of a better way to finish off our trip.

Day 7:

-7:30AM flight out of MCO, landing at 9:30AM
-Home in time to start work on time, without having to take the day off (thank you, west coast working hours!!)

​

​

So there you go!

I'm currently accumulating Amazon packages at an alarming rate. Water shoes for DC. Neck fan. Ponchos. Sling bag. Fresh pair of Nikes to handle the walking. Before long, I'm going to end up wearing my Magic Band around my house!

If anyone has any advice or input on these plans, I'd really appreciate it!! Thanks for taking the time to read all this.

-Maggnanimouse

​

 

[brookelizabeth]

Joining in!

I told her that just going back and forth from Living With the Land to Spaceship Earth would solve 90% of my problems.

Love this, and totally agree!

I'm also bummed that the "Ronto-less Roaster" offered in DL's Galaxy's Edge is not on the menu at WDW.

I think it is now! I swear I read that it was, but only at lunch... like before 3 pm or something like that. It looks SO GOOD!

Personally, I'd ditch a few of the sit downs and do the "just grab drinks" thing and do QS or snacks.... the sit down meals take up so much time. But, that's how I roll. All your choices are delicious!

I've only been to the Cantina once and I got the "Jet Fuel" - that baby is STRONG. While I didn't hate it, not sure I'll get it again... I need to do research on the drink menu as well!

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I'm going to have a trip coming up from May 20th to May 26th, which I didn't book until a little over a week ago, on April 11th!! The last minute nature of the trip was due to a few factors.

In the normal world, I live and work in Los Angeles. But since my company has been working remotely since March 2020, I decided to come back to Pennsylvania in August and live with my parents and spend time with family while I have the opportunity. It's been so nice getting to spend this much time with them, while also keeping the job I really enjoy. A silver lining of Covid, I guess!

I was recently vaccinated, and after giving it some thought, I figured it was as good a time as there would ever be to go to WDW. 1) Flights from PIT would be cheaper/shorter than LA to MCO, 2) my parents will be able to babysit the dog, 3) this is probably the only time I'll get to visit with park capacity as low as it is, and 4) it's only a matter of time until I'm called back into the office and return to LA. So I called up my best friend, and we decided to book it.

I just joined this site today, but I am just so excited for the trip that I can't contain myself. I think I came up with a pretty good schedule on such a short time frame that I wanted to share it with folks I know will appreciate it. No one I know offline would likely know enough to give a hoot.

The only caveat, and real bummer, is that there were no park passes left for Hollywood Studios by the time I booked. I'm bummed about not getting to ride Rise of the Resistance, but I'm a fairly regular visitor at Disneyland, so I'm not that put out. I'll get to ride before long.

So without further ado, here's the schedule I was able to cobble together.. I'm also just getting used to the abbreviations and lingo, so bear with me:

Day 1: Magic Kingdom

-Super early flight out of PIT, and land at MCO at 9:30 AM
-DME to AoA, stash bags
-Make our way to Magic Kingdom
-Lunch reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern

^This is subject to change. I love this restaurant, but on further reflection, such a heavy meal may not be a great way to start our trip​

-Bop around MK for a while
-Hop to Epcot
-Dinner reservation at Rose and Crown Dining Room

^I'd actually appreciate some input here. I've never eaten here before, and I'm wondering if it's worth it, or if we should just grab some drinks at the pub. I'm a Guinness fanatic, so I definitely want to sample one of there pub blends, regardless.​

​

Day 2: Off Day

-Originally, we were considering going to Universal for our day off, specifically to visit the Harry Potter sections. But we have both been Universal Studio Hollywood pass holders, and have spent many hours in LA Hogsmeade, which is identical to Florida Hogsmeade.

We ultimately decided to book a day at Discovery Cove. We didn't have any real plans to rest, or sit poolside, so we thought this would be a really nice way to spend the day. I've been to DC as a child, but I was so young it feels like a fever dream. I'm actually looking forward to swimming with fishes and floating down the lazy river, rather than spending another day battling the crowds and crazy wait times at Universal Studios.

We'll make it to Diagon Alley one day!

-Since DC closes at 5PM, we will meander back to the resort, shower, and then head to Disney Springs for a dinner reservation at Paddlefish.

Day 3: EPCOT

-I'm still trying to decipher the best way to make it to the parks for rope drop. And by rope drop, I mean the "secret" extra 30-45 minutes before the park opening. Any advice is welcome!
-Lunch reservations at Chefs de France. This was one was near the top of my friend's to-do list, but not necessarily my own. I'm thinking about just getting some soup (and maybe some escargots, if I'm feeling adventurous), because I really want to take advantage of the special Outdoor Kitchens. I've got a list of food and drinks a mile long for Epcot!
-After lunch, I think we'll probably ride for a while. I told her that just going back and forth from Living With the Land to Spaceship Earth would solve 90% of my problems.
-In the evening, I anticipate hopping to Hollywood Studios, since we don't have park passes. There have been SO MANY changes to this park since my last visit (2015). I'm really bummed about the backlot tour being gone, and that cool exhibit situation with the movie costumes and props. I don't even remember the name of it. But it was dope. All I know is that I saw 10,000 TikToks recreating the Woody's Lunchbox grilled cheese, and now that is my one non-negotionable for this entire trip.
-I'm also bummed that the "Ronto-less Roaster" offered in DL's Galaxy's Edge is not on the menu at WDW. I'm not a vegan, and it was acually my very first meat substitute I ever ate, but I fell in love with it. Good thing DL is re-opening!!

Day 4: ANIMAL KINGDOM

-To be frank, I'm not a huge Animal Kingdom fan. I have a fair bit of nostalgia for the Tree and It's Tough to be a Bug, because the year it opened was probably the first time I have lasting, solid memories of a WDW trip.
-I plan to rope drop and speed walk to Pandora and get the Avatar rides "out of the way"
-With Pandora, Safaris, and Expedition Everest accomplished, I'd be pretty satisfied with the AK park entirely.
-I have all fingers and toes crossed that Festival of the Lion King is open in time for our trip. "Mid-May" seems promising enough!
-Lunch reservation at Rainforest Cafe

-This is also subject to change. The food is terrible, but the ambience is...also kind of terrible. I don't know what it is, but my friend and I both just love this restaurant. I was wondering if the current rules would allow us to walk to up the bar just for drinks, with or without a reservation. Insight is welcome!!​

-After rainforest, we'll hop to HS
-We will ride and snack until our 8:30 reservation at Oga's Cantina. I was convinced we would not get into Oga's, but touringplans.com worked its magic, and here we are!! I can't wait to numb my lips with that fuzzy tauntaun. Drink recommendations welcome! When I visited in Oga's in DL, I got the fuzzy tauntaun and the blue wine, which I was dismayed to discover was just white wine dyed blue. Loved that tauntaun, though.

Day 5: EPCOT, Again

-Neither of us has been to WDW since turning 21. Actually, that's not true. I went in 2015, but with family, half of which were younger than me. But we plan to do a loose "drink around the world." I'm not married to the idea of actually hitting every pavilion, but I would appreciate a decent sampling.
-From what I've read, it's an unspoken rule to start in Mexico. Is this true?!
-We're not whippersnappers, so I'm thinking heading back to the hotel for a short nap might be in order, because....
-We have a 7:30PM reservation at Le Cellier! Thank you, touringplans. I've been here a few times, but never had the cheddar cheese soup. Is it as good as it sounds?

Day 6: MAGIC KINGDOM, Again

-Final day in the parks!
-We have an early lunch reservation at the Grand Floridian Cafe. I've never been to the Grand Floridian, but I'm pretty psyched. Their menu caters very nicely to my picky-eater palate. Hello steak and eggs!!
-Make our way to Magic Kingdom to ride and snack the day away
-Maaaaaaybe some last minute park hopping in the daytime if there's something imperative we missed.
-Finishing the trip off with an 8:00 PM dinner at Be Our Guest. Another instance of touringplans.com being the absolute GOAT. I can't think of a better way to finish off our trip.

Day 7:

-7:30AM flight out of MCO, landing at 9:30AM
-Home in time to start work on time, without having to take the day off (thank you, west coast working hours!!)

​

​

So there you go!

I'm currently accumulating Amazon packages at an alarming rate. Water shoes for DC. Neck fan. Ponchos. Sling bag. Fresh pair of Nikes to handle the walking. Before long, I'm going to end up wearing my Magic Band around my house!

If anyone has any advice or input on these plans, I'd really appreciate it!! Thanks for taking the time to read all this.

-Maggnanimouse

​

Welcome to the DIS!

About those west coast working hours .... I'm on the west coast and some large companies here match their hours to the east coast. Rush hour at 5:30am is nuts, but work starts at 6am for a lot of people here. It's cool that you've been able to spend so much time with your family. The 2-hour flight sounds lovely, too.

I have plans for Discovery Cove this summer and I'm really looking forward to it! I have never been, but it looks amazing. I actually have a Magic Kingdom park reservation for my Discovery Cove day. I am not sure I will keep it; I might be exhausted after a day in the sun at DC. I like your idea of Disney Springs that evening also. I have an AP sitting in my account that hasn't been activated yet, but I plan to do so for my summer trip.

I love Animal Kingdom; I like to meander on the trails and see ALL the animals in the park. I am really looking forward to Festival of the Lion King returning, even in a modified format.

Bummer on not getting reservations for Hollywood Studios.

Le Cellier - I really enjoyed the cheese soup and their signature poutine several years back. I'm actually considering trying to get an ADR for my next trip so I can have them again.

Your Amazon haul. Ooooh....water shoes are a great idea for DC. I need to order some too.

 

[MaleficentMe]

I just joined yesterday, so welcome! My family of 4 and I just had our first trip to WDW in November, so I'm a noob, but a lot of stuff really stuck with me. (Also, I'm a West Coaster as well, and DLR is my home park. Waiting to hear when non-Calis can show up!!) We also stayed at AoA!

-Lunch reservation at Rainforest Cafe
-This is also subject to change. The food is terrible, but the ambience is...also kind of terrible. I don't know what it is, but my friend and I both just love this restaurant. I was wondering if the current rules would allow us to walk to up the bar just for drinks, with or without a reservation. Insight is welcome!!

LOL! I know the Rainforest Cafe is fun and kitschy (my Wedding dinner in LV was my first experience!), you can find that place just about anywhere. I highly recommend Yak & Yeti if you can get the ADR. BUT, AK ended up being our family's favorite park, so YMMV, if you're not a fan of that park. (We rode FoP 8 times while we were there, and EE 3!)

Also, if you are a Guinness fan, and you have any time for DS: Raglan Road was a blast, and the BEST. SHEPHERDS. PIE. ANYWHERE. And the biggest slab o' fish in the FnC I've ever seen!

Ooooh....water shoes are a great idea for DC

Water shoes are a great idea period! I wore my Keen river shoes every day we were in the parks... came in really handy after the torrential afternoon downpours.

Congrats on scoring the ADRs and park reservations you managed to get with such short notice!! Look forward to reading the TR!

 

[maggnanimouse]

Joining in!



Love this, and totally agree!



I think it is now! I swear I read that it was, but only at lunch... like before 3 pm or something like that. It looks SO GOOD!

Personally, I'd ditch a few of the sit downs and do the "just grab drinks" thing and do QS or snacks.... the sit down meals take up so much time. But, that's how I roll. All your choices are delicious!

I've only been to the Cantina once and I got the "Jet Fuel" - that baby is STRONG. While I didn't hate it, not sure I'll get it again... I need to do research on the drink menu as well!

Thanks for your input! I anticipate eliminating one or two sit downs. I'm just so used to doing WDW with the dining plan, that sit downs just feel engrained at this point haha!


Since my post I did see they added a meatless option at Ronto Roasters. It's not the same as the meatless option at DLR, but that's okay. It just means I'm going to get to taste something new!

I do recommend the Fuzzy Tauntaun at Oga's. Something about the buzz button foam makes it feel like you're actually drinking something from another planet. The novelty is fun.

 

[brookelizabeth]

I do recommend the Fuzzy Tauntaun at Oga's. Something about the buzz button foam makes it feel like you're actually drinking something from another planet. The novelty is fun.

Thank you!! I just looked that one up... it looks awesome and sounds delicious!