Making a return trip unique..

[dabecs]

As many of you know we are planning our second trip to WDW for late 2014, having been on our first trip in November 2012. I knew I didn't want our first trip to be a "Once in a lifetime" but I also knew that it might so I tried to make sure we did everything we really wanted to do.

Now planning our second trip and I am really unsure how many experiences to repeat and which new experiences we should try There are many attractions we didn't get to do for reasons of time/schedule/etc including Splash Mountain, Tomorrowland Speedway and Imagination so they are obviously on the list

It is more experiences like Jedi Academy and BBBoutique that I question. My girls are big Star Wars fans but I wonder if repeating Jedi Academy lessons the impact, and likewise BBBoutique. And restaurants - we loved every meal we had for different reasons, how many do I repeat when there are so many new ones to try

I was looking at High Tea at the Grand Floridian instead of BBBoutique but then part of me worries my girls will be upset they don't get to get all dolled up which they adored last time. And high tea is obviously more expensive. There is also a high tea on the Fantasy but the reviews suggest the dolls are not as high a quality as the ones at the GFloridian. Questions, questions, questions!

Basically I'm a worrier and as this is a surprise trip I can't ask the kids and hubby just nods and smiles when ever he hears the word "Disney".

Please share your experiences, what do you do every trip? What is worth repeating, what should we do differently?

 

[PrincessInOz]

Dabecs - I treat each trip like it's the first and last time we'll ever head to the US. With that in mind, I can then work out what things I really really want to do. And if I end up repeating favourites that I did the last trip.....well.....it'll be special anyway.

If your kids like doing StarWars Academy, just do it. DS did it twice in one trip and he loved it each time. It was different the 3rd time round; because he was that much older and he was starting to move towards other interests. Still loved Star Wars; but there were other things that occupied his mind as well. That's when we knew that there was no further point in making it a priority.

Some of the extra activities will also come down to budget and what the opportunity cost is i.e., what else could you do with the money rather than repeat an experience. And if the alternative seems more value for money.

Have fun planning your return trip.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I say go with your gut. Repeat your absolute favourites because you'll probably regret it if you don't, but also make the time to try a new things.

I just know that I couldn't do our WDW/Fantasy/Universal trip again without repeating:

- Palo
- 50's Primetime Diner
- Blizzard Beach
- a stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge
- and the Transformers Ride

I would feel robbed if I missed out on any of these experiences. But that's obviously just my preferences. Everyone is different. Other than that, I think I would just love the chance to slow down and take the time to notice the smaller, less obvious, features of the parks.

Some things you might want to try:

- The Wilderness Explorers Programme at AK. It added a fun (and educational) dimension to the park.
- Pirates League. I know it's not a girly as the experiences you mentioned, but gosh was it fun. I think any kid (boy or girl) would enjoy the experience.
- The Art of the Theme Show Tour on the Fantasy (book as soon as you board). This is an adults only activity, but it is so interesting. My favourite bit of info from the tour was when the guide pointed out the Star Wars character in the Skyline scenes. All the 'people' moving around the scenes are actually Jedis and other Star Wars characters. You could spend the whole cruise not looking close enough to ever realise this.

 

[becpee]

I'm a little like you, I want different but I want the same LOL

We had such an awesome trip last time that i'm a little worried if we do things too differently we'll come away feeling a bit ripped off.

Jedi training academy is a must for us at this stage, DS7 is MAD Star Wars.

We missed things last trip also, Test Track wasn't open so that is a must for us, there are also some Downtown Disney restaurants that we just didn't get around to doing (we WILL be doing those this time).

I think whatever you do you'll love, whats not to love?

 

[Sugarglider]

There is so much to do at WDW and surrounding Orlando you could do a completely different trip!
I had to learn to drop the whole fear of missing out and really enjoy the new and different things I had chosen to do - if nothing else, I created new memories.
Have you done any backstage tours? The Keys to the Kingdom one is excellent. Or tried the Fort Wilderness Segway tour? or maybe your kids would enjoy the resort outdoor movie nights with toasty marshmellows - Chip and Dale singalong.
Try a new ride and a new restaurant - or last time I went I finally went on Autotopia after all these years. As boring as I suspected - but, hey, now I've done it.
Have you .....take a deep breath.....are you sitting down? ....... left property for a non-Disney experience? you could do an airboat ride, kayaking, swim with the manatees, Kennedy Space Centre, Winter Park shopping and Tiffany Glass Museum (OK maybe this one a bit boring for kiddies)

Enjoy your planning - always a fun part of a trip

 

[WAMUMOF4]

On repeat trips I think it's great to redo the things we loved but always like to make sure we have new experiences as well as you know I had a surprise the kids trip this year and I really stressed myself out trying to make sure they wouldn't miss any of their favourite things what I did do was in our daily conversations about our trips I would just randomly throw in questions like if we went again what would be your must dos, what would you be upset to miss out on etc etc it gave me a grounding for what was the most important to them and I agree with Princess treat every trip as your once in a lifetime you just never know if you will or won't make it back

 

[dabecs]

Thanks everyone for the great advice

PiO - yes if the cash was unlimited it might make me feel differently because we could repeat and do new experiences.

Wanderlust - we will also have a few faves we have to repeat, there are some restaurants and experiences that make it "feel Disney". Pirates League is something I looked at last trip but couldn't fit it in with the time/budget, it looked really fun. I think my girls would love it

Becpee - If we had the exact same trip over again it would be wonderful, but kind of pointless if that makes sense I just don't know how much repetition and how much new - it's hard to balance.

Sugarglider - we went to KSC last trip (loved it), this trip we are actually spending time in Florida before WDW to do Seaworld/Discovery Cove and we are doing a cruise - all new for us. Last trip we went to NYC and Washington DC which we are not doing this time. So besides the WDW bit the trips will be very different

WAmumof4 - I think I'll give that a try, I have been asking (while we look through the photo book) which restaurants everyone liked best to get an idea of which ones to repeat. I need to stretch that to experiences.

Thanks everyone, I know I am overthinking things and we could get to WDW and hang out at the resort and we would all be in heaven so I don't need to worry. It's just that the trip costs so much I want everything to be special. This might be our last o/s trip for a few years and if we are fortunate enough to be able to travel again it would most likely be to somewhere different (Europe) so I want to get this trip right!

 

[ssour]

We always make sure to have at least two new restaurants each visit and then rotate our favs based on where we plan to be. You could always book BBB for later in the trip and cancel if the girls don't seem too fussed about doing it again. So long as you cancel within the 24 hours. Same with Jedi, leave time for it and if they don't want to do it then you'll have some bonus time up your sleeve. You could maybe leave a day or two of the trip not planned out so you can decide what you want to do on the day (this might be a bit harder if going in a peak time). Maybe even just spend a day enjoying your resort and not going into the theme parks. Could you try and find out which restaurants were the kids favorites and schedule those? Maybe look over some photos and reminisce? If you think they'd like the pirates league you book that and the pirates & pals fireworks cruise for the same day? This is on my to-do list but I have to wait for my little one to be a bit older. I don't think he'd appreciate it at only 1. Assuming you've already seen the fireworks from inside Magic Kingdom, this is a different way to see them.

 

[zanzibar138]

I agree, you definitely need to add some different experiences. I plan to treat it a bit like our first trip - pick a few 'must-dos' and work around them. Since it is a return trip, we'll also have to pick a few 'must-repeats' as well

 

[dabecs]

We always make sure to have at least two new restaurants each visit and then rotate our favs based on where we plan to be. You could always book BBB for later in the trip and cancel if the girls don't seem too fussed about doing it again. So long as you cancel within the 24 hours. Same with Jedi, leave time for it and if they don't want to do it then you'll have some bonus time up your sleeve. You could maybe leave a day or two of the trip not planned out so you can decide what you want to do on the day (this might be a bit harder if going in a peak time). Maybe even just spend a day enjoying your resort and not going into the theme parks. Could you try and find out which restaurants were the kids favorites and schedule those? Maybe look over some photos and reminisce? If you think they'd like the pirates league you book that and the pirates & pals fireworks cruise for the same day? This is on my to-do list but I have to wait for my little one to be a bit older. I don't think he'd appreciate it at only 1. Assuming you've already seen the fireworks from inside Magic Kingdom, this is a different way to see them.

I like the idea of pirates and pals, that looks fun I might try for the pirate make over on the cruise for pirate night

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I like the idea of pirates and pals, that looks fun I might try for the pirate make over on the cruise for pirate night

I would seriously consider doing it at WDW instead.

A,couple of reasons:

1. On the ship they just cover the chairs in the BBB on Pirate night, and at the end of the day, it's still the BBB. At WDW the whole area is so elaborately themed with 3 separate rooms. One for spinning dice and picking your pirate name, one for the makeover (the staff are amazing and make everyone feel like a celebrity), and lastly Jack Sparrow's secret treasure room with some surprises and no cameras allowed. All of these things combined made it the amazing experience that it was.

2. At WDW, if you have Photopass plus, you get the commemorative photos for free. They are great quality, and along with the officially named Pirate certificate, treasure chest, and special surprise from Jack Sparrow's room, all combine to make a very good value for money experience.

3. Pirate makeovers are very difficult to get a booking for on the cruise if you are a first time Disney cruiser (sorry, I can't remember if that's you). I didn't want one, but still checked the day my booking window opened out of curiosity. The only appointments left were in the morning while we were in port. I would have been so disappointed if I hadn't booked WDW Pirates league at the 180 window because I was waiting for my cruise window to open up instead. If nothing else, book it at WDW and then make up your mind later on whether you will keep the booking. (I would - it's awesome!).

 

[WanderlustNZ]

P.S. I'm starting my blog next week. Look out for a Pirates league entry over the coming month.

 

[dabecs]

I would seriously consider doing it at WDW instead. A,couple of reasons: 1. On the ship they just cover the chairs in the BBB on Pirate night, and at the end of the day, it's still the BBB. At WDW the whole area is so elaborately themed with 3 separate rooms. One for spinning dice and picking your pirate name, one for the makeover (the staff are amazing and make everyone feel like a celebrity), and lastly Jack Sparrow's secret treasure room with some surprises and no cameras allowed. All of these things combined made it the amazing experience that it was. 2. At WDW, if you have Photopass plus, you get the commemorative photos for free. They are great quality, and along with the officially named Pirate certificate, treasure chest, and special surprise from Jack Sparrow's room, all combine to make a very good value for money experience. 3. Pirate makeovers are very difficult to get a booking for on the cruise if you are a first time Disney cruiser (sorry, I can't remember if that's you). I didn't want one, but still checked the day my booking window opened out of curiosity. The only appointments left were in the morning while we were in port. I would have been so disappointed if I hadn't booked WDW Pirates league at the 180 window because I was waiting for my cruise window to open up instead. If nothing else, book it at WDW and then make up your mind later on whether you will keep the booking. (I would - it's awesome!).

Wow thanks for all of that info! We are first time cruisers, so I had no idea it booked out so early.