Obsessive planning for 1, make that 2, now 3 trips

[lovedonaldduck]

I have decided to give a pre trip report a try.

Just a little bit of background, my first trip to the Magic Kingdom came in 2001 (I think). My DH and I had been married for a few months and friends of ours were Disney addicts: annual passes, MNSSHP, MVMCP, multiple trips each month; so they talked us into a trip. We enjoyed it, I had previously been to Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland so to me it was a little bit similar. What I most noticed on our trip was parents not watching their kids, dragging miserable kids around, and pushing strollers with kids not nearly old enough to be enjoying themselves. Isn't it amazing how much we know about parenting before we become parents? And how much it all changes when we become parents? Anyways, I decided then that when we had kids we would wait until they were old enough to really enjoy WDW before we went.

Well, DD is now 3 and we spent last year breaking her in on our Sea World annual passes so now she is a theme park pro. We decided instead of renewing our Sea World passes, zoo passes, and Alligator Farm passes, we would spring for a trip to Disney this year. My DH and I were discussing the trip over dinner one night and he suggested we invite my parents to join us - it was his idea! As long as it meant I didn't have to bring my MIL I was good with it and my husband assured me we didn't have to invite her.

So, I invited my parents and they were happy to join us. We ended up with 6 day hopper passes, dining, and 7 nights at FWC in April. We had such a great time we updgraded to seasonal passes and booked a return trip for September before leaving! I also managed to sneak in a weekend trip before our passes were blacked out for the summer 2 weeks ago.

So now, September hours are out and I still have 2 weeks until I have to book my ADRs, regular dining plan, so I am trying to decide on which parks to visit on which days. That is what inspired me to start a pre-trip report, I need help! We require a break each day at midday. The other adults asked for more downtime on this trip. Epcot is the adults favorite park. Last time we neglected DHS, only ate at 50's Prime Time and saw an American Idol show before we called it a night. So this is what I am thinking:

Sunday 9/27 - MK
Monday 9/28 - DHS
Tuesday 9/29 - off morning, MNSSHP
Wednesday 9/30 - off morning, Epcot evening
Thursday 10/1 - AK morning, Epcot evening
Friday 10/2 - Epcot morning, MK evening

Here are my concerns -
9/27 - MK has evening EMH which we will not want to stay out for, so should we spend the evening elsewhere to avoid the crowds?
Will we have enough time at MK during the week? Not sure if we will be able to do candy, shows, parades, characters, and rides at MNSSHP. We plan on getting there as close to 4 as possible.
Do we have enough Epcot time during the week, as this is everyone's favorite? Even DD3.

Let me know your thoughts. I will post my ADR ideas next.

 

[lovedonaldduck]

On to my probable ADRs. I still have 2 weeks until I can call so they will probably change a million times by then.

9/26 - Arrival night - Ohana's - 7pm
9/27 - MK day - The Wave 5:30pm
9/28 - DHS day - 50's Prime Time Cafe 7pm
9/29 - MNSSHP - Raglan Road 3pm
9/30 - Epcot afternoon - Le Cellier not sure what time, which is good since I probably won't get much off a choice on this one anyways
10/1 - AK day - Tusker House 8am
10/2 - Epcot am/MK pm - Kona Cafe 5pm

Last trip we went to 50's Prime Time, Raglan Road, and Kona Cafe and loved them all so those are repeats. Everything else is new to us. Tusker House is the little one's choice, she wants to have breakfast with Donald.

 

[lovedonaldduck]

I have some exciting news that I have to share (with myself, for now, but I know readers will find me).

I just booked a studio at OKW for the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend (9/6) for $76 by renting DVC points!

I am so excited, we have never stayed at OKW before and never gotten a deal this good before either. Maybe if I can rent DVC points I can wait on splurging on a DVC purchase. I just realized I am within the 90 day window so I can book an ADR. Better start figuring that one out!

 

[tinkandonaldfans]

well this a reply from a fellow first timer doing a pre-trip report! I have done one also Fit to Burst!!!!!- a Pre-Trip Report and felt I needed to add some encouragement to others.

Well when I rang on Friday to make my ADRs I was plesantly surprised that I got everything I asked for even a Le Cellier Dinner! So here is some pixie dust for your ADR call!

 

[Raecheal]

I love your ADR's so far... Hopefully you'll be able to get them all.

I'm in...

 

[lovedonaldduck]

well this a reply from a fellow first timer doing a pre-trip report! I have done one also Fit to Burst!!!!!- a Pre-Trip Report and felt I needed to add some encouragement to others.

Well when I rang on Friday to make my ADRs I was plesantly surprised that I got everything I asked for even a Le Cellier Dinner! So here is some pixie dust for your ADR call!

I am going to check out your pre-trip report in a minute. I appreciate the encouragement.

I love your ADR's so far... Hopefully you'll be able to get them all.

I'm in...

Thanks for joining. I call for ADRs in less than two weeks. I will let you know how it goes.

 

[lovedonaldduck]

Before I get back to the pre-trip for the big September trip, I need to start figuring out our last minute overnight Labor Day weekend. I tried to call yesterday but the reservation system was down again. I guess it's alright since I don't really know where we are going to eat anyway.

We have about a 2.5 hour drive so I imagine we will get to OKW about noon on 9/6. By the time we are checked in I figure we can be to a park by 1pm. The problem is I don't know which park that will be. Our last weekend trip we did Epcot and MK so my husband wants to do DHS and AK this time. I will miss MK and Epcot if that is what we do but I'm thinking I will do what my husband wants since I am still trying to turn him into a Disney fanatic.

My concern is DHS has Fantasmic! Sunday night and we have never been there when Fantasmic! was showing - does it really affect crowd levels? We won't be watching Fantasmic, I'm afraid it will scare the little one. If crowds won't be too bad, we can do DHS on Sunday and AK has morning EMH on Monday so that will work out.

I am going to call now and see what time we can get into 50's Prime Time Cafe on 9/6. Wish me luck.

 

[SilverL]

If you're worried about not getting enough MK in, which is a valid concern with kids, why not go to MK a little earlier on your MNSSHP day? If that's not possible, then I think you'll probably be fine. Just use a good touring plan on your MK day so that you get to hit everything your family wants to hit.

Have you checked out TourGuideMike or TouringPlans at all? I subscribed to touring plans for something like $10 for the year. It really helped me figure out which parks to visit each day, and what to expect as far as crowds. For such a low price, I considered it a great investment.

My DH and I will be there the week before you guys.

 

[Raecheal]

Before I get back to the pre-trip for the big September trip, I need to start figuring out our last minute overnight Labor Day weekend. I tried to call yesterday but the reservation system was down again. I guess it's alright since I don't really know where we are going to eat anyway.

We have about a 2.5 hour drive so I imagine we will get to OKW about noon on 9/6. By the time we are checked in I figure we can be to a park by 1pm. The problem is I don't know which park that will be. Our last weekend trip we did Epcot and MK so my husband wants to do DHS and AK this time. I will miss MK and Epcot if that is what we do but I'm thinking I will do what my husband wants since I am still trying to turn him into a Disney fanatic.

My concern is DHS has Fantasmic! Sunday night and we have never been there when Fantasmic! was showing - does it really affect crowd levels? We won't be watching Fantasmic, I'm afraid it will scare the little one. If crowds won't be too bad, we can do DHS on Sunday and AK has morning EMH on Monday so that will work out.

I am going to call now and see what time we can get into 50's Prime Time Cafe on 9/6. Wish me luck.

I'm so sorry the reservation system was down.. i can def. understand how frustrating that may be. GOOD LUCK!! Sending you some pixie dust...

 

[lovedonaldduck]

If you're worried about not getting enough MK in, which is a valid concern with kids, why not go to MK a little earlier on your MNSSHP day? If that's not possible, then I think you'll probably be fine. Just use a good touring plan on your MK day so that you get to hit everything your family wants to hit.

Have you checked out TourGuideMike or TouringPlans at all? I subscribed to touring plans for something like $10 for the year. It really helped me figure out which parks to visit each day, and what to expect as far as crowds. For such a low price, I considered it a great investment.

My DH and I will be there the week before you guys.

I hear September is a great time to go.

My biggest concern with getting enough MK time is I don't know what to expect with MNSSHP. I'm not sure how much MK we will get to do with all the MNSSHP festivities going on. I can always reshuffle the rest of our week for more MK time if needed.

I am subscribed to TouringPlans which is a huge help. We used their plans for our April trip and we rarely waited in line. I think the longest was for Dumbo, about 20 minutes, so that worked out great.

I'm so sorry the reservation system was down.. i can def. understand how frustrating that may be. GOOD LUCK!! Sending you some pixie dust...

Just got off the phone and I got 50's Prime Time Cafe for 5:50, we wanted 6 so I am happy. The pixie dust must have worked.

 

[Raecheal]

Pixie Dust always works... Congrats on getting the Prime time!!

 

[lovedonaldduck]

Pixie Dust always works... Congrats on getting the Prime time!!

Thanks. Now that we have it, I am second guessing myself. It is a family favorite so I know it will be on the list for the big September trip, so now I am wondering if I should try something new for the Labor Day trip. I am the most indecisive person in the world.

 

[lovedonaldduck]

Since my ADR date for the big September trip is fast approaching, I am obsessing about it non stop. Right now my biggest dilemma is what time to try and get for our dinner reservations. We will take a midday break each day, the little one needs a nap and the rest of us do better with a break as well. We will probably typically head back to the resort between 12-1pm. Peyton naps for two hours which puts us ready to go out again at about 3. I'm not sure if I should plan the days to head back to a park about 3 and schedule dinners later around 7 and then call it a day; or if it is better to take more down time in the afternoon and schedule dinner around 5 and then head back out to a park after dinner. Decisions, decisions. I am going to double check my itinerary and will probably end up with a combination of the two. Let me know if you have any thoughts. I will keep you posted.

 

[Myhappythought5]

Since my ADR date for the big September trip is fast approaching, I am obsessing about it non stop. Right now my biggest dilemma is what time to try and get for our dinner reservations. We will take a midday break each day, the little one needs a nap and the rest of us do better with a break as well. We will probably typically head back to the resort between 12-1pm. Peyton naps for two hours which puts us ready to go out again at about 3. I'm not sure if I should plan the days to head back to a park about 3 and schedule dinners later around 7 and then call it a day; or if it is better to take more down time in the afternoon and schedule dinner around 5 and then head back out to a park after dinner. Decisions, decisions. I am going to double check my itinerary and will probably end up with a combination of the two. Let me know if you have any thoughts. I will keep you posted.

I was the same way for about 2 weeks before. I obsessed daily. wondering if I had the best plans laid out and if I was going for the best times. Did I have enough back ups. For the most part we got what we wanted durring the times we wanted.
I completely agree about the taking breaks durring the days. We have started doing this more over the years and really enjoy that break. and I know the kids love it. It is nice to get refreshed before going back at it.

Your schedule looks pretty good. EPCOT is our favorite also.
We are also taking the morning off before MNSSHP we are getting our pictures taken but taking the rest of the day to relax. We did this before the Pirate and Princess party and were thankfull we did. Or else we wouldn't have made it through the night.

Also I wanted to say that your DD is adorable. Have fun planning

 

[lovedonaldduck]

I was the same way for about 2 weeks before. I obsessed daily. wondering if I had the best plans laid out and if I was going for the best times. Did I have enough back ups. For the most part we got what we wanted durring the times we wanted.
I completely agree about the taking breaks durring the days. We have started doing this more over the years and really enjoy that break. and I know the kids love it. It is nice to get refreshed before going back at it.

Your schedule looks pretty good. EPCOT is our favorite also.
We are also taking the morning off before MNSSHP we are getting our pictures taken but taking the rest of the day to relax. We did this before the Pirate and Princess party and were thankfull we did. Or else we wouldn't have made it through the night.

Also I wanted to say that your DD is adorable. Have fun planning

Thanks, I think my DD is adorable too. She is really the best. My DH has been working until midnight the last few nights so it's just be her and I and I am loving spending the time with her.

Breaks work really well for us. I could go all day nonstop, I just love being there so much, but DD would be miserable and so would everyone else.

Where are you getting your pictures taken? I keep debating whether we should do this or not. I think I am on the fence because I keep reading conflicting information on pricing. If you could share your plan, I'd appreciate it.

 

[lovedonaldduck]

I am second guessing my 50's Prime Time Cafe reservation for our Labor Day trip. We are only going to do one TS meal while we are there and I just don't know if that is where I want it to be, especially since we will be eating there again in less than a month.

The online reservation system is going to be horrible for someone as indecisive as me. I have already tried a couple different alternates for Labor Day, although I didn't book anything yet. I think I am going to talk to my husband and see if we can switch up our park plans for the weekend. Try Epcot on Sunday and DHS on Monday, then we can try a new restaurant for dinner in Epcot. I'll see what he thinks.

 

[lovedonaldduck]

The madness has started already. This morning I booked a 4:45 reservation at Coral Reef for our Labor Day trip. We have never been to Coral Reef so I am excited.

I talked to my husband about it last night (he finally got home at a decent hour) and we agreed that although we love 50's Prime Time Cafe, we would rather not eat there twice in one month so we decided to switch up our days since there is nowhere else we wanted to eat at DHS. We are going to go to Epcot on Sunday and then DHS on Monday. This may work out better anyways, as I was worried about Fantasmic crowds at DHS on Sunday and we probably wouldn't get there until afternoon so I was also worried about missing out on TSM again.

Not sure if I am going to plan out our Labor Day touring plans next or try to finalize the big September trip with some alternates in preparation for my ADR call next weekend. I will keep you all posted.

 

[lovedonaldduck]

My mom threw a wrench in the Labor Day plans this weekend, she does not want to go to Epcot on this trip. So we are back to DHS on Sunday and AK on Monday. DH and I still don't want to eat at 50's Prime Time Cafe twice in a month, so I booked Mama Melrose instead. I have read some mixed reviews but I think it is a better dinner option for us than Sci-Fi.

I am going to be taking a bit of a break from this report until the end of the month. I have some career stuff that needs attending to so there needs to be a whole lot less DIS in my immediate future. Don't know how I'll make it.

 

[lovedonaldduck]

I am back - although I'm pretty sure I didn't leave anybody hanging waiting for an update. Career stuff done, caught up on other trip reports and pretrip reports so now I am here.

The mini trip for Labor Day weekend is set. We are going to DHS on Sunday, eating dinner at Mama Melrose (I am not thrilled with this, but I don't know where else to use a table service at DHS if I'm not going to 50's Prime Time Cafe ). Monday we will be heading to Animal Kingdom and then home at a reasonable time since it will be back to work and school on Tuesday for all of us.

I have ADR drama to share regarding the big September trip but that will have to wait for my next update...

 

[lovedonaldduck]

Being that I live in Jacksonville, FL, I have no idea how cell reception just south of Columbia, SC is. At least, I had no idea when I had to make my ADR call from Columbia, SC two weeks ago.

My best friend from high school got married in May in Pennsylvania and then had a reception last month in Columbia, SC for all of us southerners who couldn't make it to PA. So, being a wonderful best friend and only a 5 hour drive away from Columbia, I packed my family in the car and headed up I-95 Friday night after work, even though my ADR day was Sunday. I wasn't worried, I'd get up early, make our ADRs at 7, we'd get some breakfast and get on the road. The best laid plans...

This is the first time I've had an ADR day, our first Disney vacation in April was booked within the 90 day window so this was all new to me. But I DIS so I was prepared. Well, as prepared as I can be since our trip goes into October and of course there were no October park hours on ADR day. Anyway, I digress. So the ADR plan was:

1. Le Cellier - fit it in anywhere on this vacation
2. Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House - DD requested breakfast with Donald and I knew I wanted this before park opening on a non-EMH morning
3. Ohana - for a normal dinner time
4. 50's Prime Time Cafe - around park closing time so as not to eat into our touring of DHS
5. Kona Cafe - one of our favorites last trip
6. The Wave - we are staying at BLT and I have heard good things
7. Raglan Road - our favorite from our first trip and they have flexible times so we can eat here and then head to MNSSHP

Apparently, you can't sleep in on ADR day. I can sleep in any day, add to that a dark hotel room, I definitely thought I would need the alarm on my cell phone. My first mistake, I was up, showered, dressed, and mostly packed by 7am. Called Disney dining at 7 and was put on hold. No surprises there. We decided to just hit the road. About 8:10 I finally got a live person.

So, she makes my Le Cellier reservation for lunch on a day other than my first choice, but who cares, we are going to Le Cellier!

We get into Tusker House shortly after 8am!

We get into Ohana at 7pm!

We get into 50's Prime Time Cafe at 7:10 (park closing at 7)!!

I hear an interesting beep, beep noise and then silence. Look at my cell phone - call was lost

Apparently, cell reception just south of Columbia, SC is less than stellar.

I tell DH.

DH - Well they'll have the reservations you already made.

Me - Maybe, if she put them through.

DH - Did she take a call back number?

Me - No, Disney doesn't do that.

So, I get back on the phone and of course am back on hold. DH has lifted my spirits. The Disney reservationist had our resort reservation information, maybe she went ahead and booked the reservations we had already made and they would all be tied together and I could just make my last few and call it a day. DH suggests I call on his cell phone too, in case I were to get cut off again. 2 cell phones on hold with Disney - check.

By this time it is almost 9 and DD is not happy we haven't fed her yet so we decide to stop for breakfast. As soon as we place our order, Disney dining picks up! What timing, now DH can get all the food, drinks, and DD to the table by himself, I have business to attend to.

So I explain to the very nice CM how my earlier call was cut off and ask her to see if the reservations are attached to my resort reservation. She checked my name, my mom's name, my cell phone number, my home number - we have no dining reservations for our September trip.

Oh well, I've only lost an hour, how bad can it be?



I am not eating at Le Cellier.