OOPS We Did It Again. WDW/Orlando August 2019 PTR (Updated 8/6)

[siren0119]

First PTR! This PTR would have been for 2020...but whoops.

I am a perpetual planner and figured this would be a great tool for tracking my ideas and bouncing things off of those who know better than I do!

WHO WE ARE:

This trip will be our immediate family. Hubby and I, and our two DS who will be 12 and 10 at the time of the trip. Our boys are still very much about the magic and characters, so we're going to take advantage of that as long as we can.







OUR TRIP:

9 days, 8 nights at All Star Music. Technically it's a split stay - I found a crazy deal on Priceline and bought 4 nights room only, and then the Free Dining package was released LOL. After crunching the numbers we decided that tacking on another 4 nights to the front of our trip with the dining plan would put us slightly ahead vs booking separately, and an upgrade to the TS Dining plan allowed us to book a few of the more expensive character meals that we might have put off for a later trip. So we booked 4 additional nights at the same hotel under the DDP, and will pay OOP for food the second leg of the trip.

We will be driving down for the first time! We live in MA so it's around a 21 hour trip. DH has relatives right around the midway point, so the plan is to leave early AM and get to VA around 3-4PM. Eat, visit and sleep and then leave early AM on check-in day to hopefully arrive right around check in time. We'd follow roughly the same plan for the drive home.

More on how this trip came about and what our initial game plan looks like later!

 

[siren0119]

SURPRISE!

ARRIVALS, DINING AND PARK DAYS

MAKING PLANS: TAKE 1

PRELIMINARY FASTPASS PLANS: TAKE 1

SNACK ATTACK

FLY AWAY LITTLE BIRDIES

ARRIVALS, DINING AND PARK DAYS take 2

MAKING PLANS: TAKE 2

MUCH EATING. MANY FOODS

TAKING SHAPE: DAY 1

TAKING SHAPE: DAY 2

LEMONADE

THE ENVELOPE PLEASE

THE MINIONS HAVE SPOKEN

 

[siren0119]

Surprise!

I'm a bit of a trickster.

In 2016, DH and I decided to try and make Disney happen for the first time with our family. We had been through a rough several years at the front end of our marriage and our finances were finally in a place where we could take a REAL vacation. DH had been to Disney several times as a kid and in his early 20's and I hadn't been back since I was 16. At this point we're in our 40's so yeah it had been a spell since we were there We decided that by fall of 2017 the boys should be tall enough to ride everything, and old enough to appreciate the trip but young enough to still get caught up in the magic (not realizing I'd also get caught up in the bubble myself LOL).

I'm a firm believer that there are not enough good surprises left in the world, so I take EVERY opportunity to spring fun on my kids. Disney was the ULTIMATE surprise. I still have no idea how we kept quiet for a year and a half, but at 3AM on Sept 23 2017 we hustled our unsuspecting kids into the car and drove to the airport! They weren't told where we were going until we parked the car for the airport shuttle. It was an amazing trip all around, a magical first experience for my boys and a rabbit hole for my husband and I as we realized we were Dis-addicted

Fast forward to this year. We usually get the kids one big "joint" gift for Christmas, but were kind of burnt out on all of the "stuff". A Facebook post was floating around about doing a year of experiences as a Christmas gift and it was the PERFECT alternative to more stuff! A box with envelopes for each month that they would open at the beginning of the month - inside is a "certificate" for a family date, something different and fun to look forward to each month of the year. Less stuff, more time, win-win.

Around this time we were also starting to talk about another trip to the Dis. Hubby and I went back in 2018 for an adults-only weekend with friends to Food and Wine fest, and knew we'd need another "fix" before too long. We started looking at something in 2020, and had some basic dates and plans in mind. I'm a bargain shopper and usually play the LONG game when it comes to hunting for discounts on big ticket items. Research early, check in often, and I can usually find what I want at a decent discount.

I got hooked into the Priceline Express thread on the DISBOARDS and started using tips found there to check on room rates for the dates we had in mind (but 2019 instead of 2020 since that was what was available). I had PLANNED on just getting familiar with the system so that when I could book 2020 I was ready. Silly me. A crazy deal showed up that looked like an All Star resort for the August dates we wanted but in 2019. Combined with a Priceline discount code and a double-cash-back offer through Ebates, the price was too good to pass up.

Ooops. Guess we're going in 2019 instead 4 nights at ASMu were on the calendar. in INK.

Being the trickster that I am, I couldn't resist making this part of our "big" Christmas gift. So as of this writing, my kids have NO IDEA that when they open their August envelope, they will find out we're headed back to the Mouse House! And because we had already talked about a 2020 trip with them, I can get their input on ADR's and must-do's without them realizing it's happening a year sooner.

One last surprise for me too - when they released the Free Dining packages I had started listing all of the ADR's we would want to hit and priced out ballpark numbers. I tallied up what it would cost us to book an additional 4 nights under the package, vs my original thought of booking something offsite to make a longer vacation of it, but paying OOP for everything. It worked out slightly in our favor to grab the dining package and upgrade it to a TS plan, so that we'd have 4 TS credits to use on the more expensive dining experiences. Hubby gave the thumbs up, so now we're fully booked at ASMu for 9 days/8 nights with DDP for half the trip! And with the release of MNSSHP tickets, it promises to be an epic trip.

 

[siren0119]

ARRIVALS, DINING AND PARK DAYS

So we have a couple of options in terms of park days. There are a few factors at play:

• We have 7 day parkhoppers, so we have the ability to use EMH to start/end in different parks and use ADR's to bridge the gaps and allow for some transition

• We DEFINITELY plan to attend MNSSHP one of the nights we are there. I don't like the idea of burning a park day before the party, but using morning EMH could ease that sting a little

• We have 4 days worth of dining credits to use between 8/26 and midnight 8/30 (4 TS and 4 QS plus 8 snacks). We are onsite until 9/3 and will be paying OOP for food (and picking up some groceries) for the last couple of days.

Option 1:
-Arrive around check-in time on 8/26 and plan to burn a dining credit for dinner that night.
-Use PH from 8/27-9/3 with no down days (my kids are totally capable of this)
-Attend MNSSHP but burn a park day in the morning. Arrive at MK around lunch and stay for the party.

Option 2:
-Arrive very early on 8/26, drop luggage at the resort and head to the parks for the day. We would probably skip staying at DH's uncle's house in VA and just grab a cheap hotel a few hrs from WDW on Sunday night. It would make for a long drive Sunday, but might be worth it.
- Use PH from 8/26-9/3 BUT
- Attend MNSSHP either 8/27 or 8/30 and ONLY go to the party that day. We could schedule a character breakfast at one of the resorts to burn a dining credit.

The TS dining we want to hit over the whole trip includes:
Storybook @ Artists Point (*)
Hoop Dee Doo
Bon Voyage Breakfast (*)
Garden Grill
Tusker House
50's Prime Time
Crystal Palace MAYBE (*)

The (*) are the meals I feel confident are a good value with the dining plan. While I know that Hoop Dee Doo isn't the best value at 2 credits, I'm inclined to use dining on it anyway - partially because I kind of like that on the front end of the trip, and partially because it'd be nice to not have to make that up front payment LOL. If we didn't do HDDR under the dining plan I'd probably try to book Crystal Palace and Garden Grill for Lunch (although my kids would prefer breakfast there) somewhere in the first 5 days.

the only QS I know we want to do on the DDP is BOG Breakfast. Any other QS meals can be kind of on the fly, though I will look at the ones that have adult beverages first to max our value.

Please share your thoughts/advice! I feel like ADRs are really going to drive what day we are going where, and I want to be smart about using those DDP credits

 

[KellyHonos]

I'm so happy you guys are able to swing a trip for this year! How exciting! I am oozing of jealousy, but also extremely excited for you. Part of the fun for is planning, anticipating, watching youtube videos, looking at the merch, the pandora charms, the A&A bangles! Ahhhh! So the fact you and your fam get to anticipate this fun trip is very exciting and I'm so happy for you. Especially to do it at a discount! I've never been able to travel there during free dining due to my sister being in school and not wanting to miss anything since she's in accelerated learning classes. However, I must say, I am considering either 1. going alone or 2. booking a friends trip during the time of year I personally would like to visit. I think taking a trip alone would be SOOOO FUN. No one to compromise with, no one to share the room or shower with. Ugh, sounds heavenly. I also love that you chose experiences over things for xmas. My family and I had the exact same approach this past xmas. Last may we booked a cruise during christmas and we got back about 3 weeks ago and it may just become a tradition at this point. it was so nice not having to fuss with gifts and xmas shopping and wrapping presents. Don't get me wrong, doing that is nice when it feels right. But we all have everything we could ever want. I don't have kids yet, I'm not in a relationship, my sister is 13 and no longer believes in Santa, so until I have either a SO or children to buy for, I'm kind of burnt out on the xmas thing. So much stuff that is not needed. Plus the reason for the season is lost on so many... Truly so excited for you and I hope you guys have a blast!!

 

[siren0119]

I'm so happy you guys are able to swing a trip for this year! How exciting! I am oozing of jealousy, but also extremely excited for you. Part of the fun for is planning, anticipating, watching youtube videos, looking at the merch, the pandora charms, the A&A bangles! Ahhhh! So the fact you and your fam get to anticipate this fun trip is very exciting and I'm so happy for you. Especially to do it at a discount! I've never been able to travel there during free dining due to my sister being in school and not wanting to miss anything since she's in accelerated learning classes. However, I must say, I am considering either 1. going alone or 2. booking a friends trip during the time of year I personally would like to visit. I think taking a trip alone would be SOOOO FUN. No one to compromise with, no one to share the room or shower with. Ugh, sounds heavenly. I also love that you chose experiences over things for xmas. My family and I had the exact same approach this past xmas. Last may we booked a cruise during christmas and we got back about 3 weeks ago and it may just become a tradition at this point. it was so nice not having to fuss with gifts and xmas shopping and wrapping presents. Don't get me wrong, doing that is nice when it feels right. But we all have everything we could ever want. I don't have kids yet, I'm not in a relationship, my sister is 13 and no longer believes in Santa, so until I have either a SO or children to buy for, I'm kind of burnt out on the xmas thing. So much stuff that is not needed. Plus the reason for the season is lost on so many... Truly so excited for you and I hope you guys have a blast!!

Thank you!!! And I would 100% recommend TAKING THE TRIP ALONE Being a parent with kids at Disney VS going as just adults was a whole new way to experience the parks...I can only imagine being able to do it on my own would be another level. Or if you're not a solo traveler by nature, grab a friend who can get the same time off My bestie and I are already planning a quick weekend down next year during Flower and Garden festival!

 

[siren0119]

After talking to my husband we're leaning toward Option #2 - Marathon drive on Sunday, grab a hotel somewhere near Jacksonville so that we only have a 3-ish hour drive to the park on Monday depending on traffic. That would allow us to arrive early Monday and use a park day on arrival. We'll have the car so we can easily store luggage in the trunk if it's too much of a pain to have Guest Services hold it for us.

There's also an Option 3 - drop down to 6 day PH and still arrive at check-in on Monday.

Cost-wise it's only about a $40 difference between 6 and 7 day parkhoppers, so cost savings isn't a factor. It's more a personal hangup with having a park day we wouldn't use LOL.

I definitely feel like taking a rest morning the day of MNSSHP is the smart thing to do. Now just have to figure out if I would rather have that rest morning our 2nd day onsite, or on Friday (the halfway point). I'm leaning towards Tuesday 8/27 just so we can sleep in after two days of driving

If that's how it shakes out, we'll probably schedule Hoop Dee Doo another night and just use QS on Monday, then schedule brunch at a resort Tuesday before heading to the party.

Sorry for the stream-of-consciousness post, but sometimes it's the only way I can work through all the junk rolling around in my brain

 

[siren0119]

MAKING PLANS: TAKE 1

Started working on preliminary dining and touring plans, which I’m sure will change a few times before ADR DAY (cue dramatic music!)

Here’s what I have so far:

DAY 1 8/26 - HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
Arrive in Orlando after resting up in Jacksonville overnight. Store luggage at GS, park and hop a bus! Main goals will be rides, at least one of the shows (Frozen or BATB) and Fantasmic.
Planned dining: Andy’s Lunchbox
DP used: 1 QS

DAY 2 8/27 - REST AND MNSSHP
Sleep in, swim, resort breakfast, swim, costumes, HALLOWEEN
Planned dining: Bon Voyage breakfast at Trattorio al Forno, QS during the halloween party
DP used: 1 TS, 1 QS

DAY 3 8/28 - EPCOT AND EVENING EMH
Late-ish arrival, main goals will be Spaceship Earth, The Seas, World Showcase (Agent p’s WS activity). Leave for late dinner at WL before heading to EMH at MK
Planned dining: QS lunch, Storybook at Artists Point (as close to 8pm as we can get)
DP used: 1 TS, 1 QS

DAY 4 8/29 - EPCOT EMH AND ANIMAL KINGDOM
EMH at Epcot to get in rides we missed, breakfast then head to AK and see where the day takes us. Want to see Pandora at night and may try for ROL tix if we can get Tusker House lunch ressies. Will aim for either Nemo or FOTLK.
Planned Dining: Garden Grill b'fast (early as we can), Tusker House late lunch
OOP dining

Day 5: 8/30 - MAGIC KINGDOM (with morning EMH)
It's a party day, so the plan will be to hit EMH in the morning, play a little SotMK, spend a little more time exploring - Splash Mountain and Tom Sawyer's Island will be a priority. Leave at party time and head to dinner. We will have a little time to explore FW before dinner.
Planned Dining: BOG Breakfast, HDDR dinner
DP used: 1 QS, 2 TS

Day 6: 8/31 - MOAR ANIMALS (with EMH)
Take advantage of morning EMH and spend more time exploring AK. Will hit either Nemo or FOTLK, whichever we missed the first time. One last viewing of Pandora at night, and Tree of Life.
Planned Dining: Harambe's Market
OOP dining

Day 7: 9/1 - MAGIC KINGDOM AND WHATEVER FLOATS OUR BOAT
No real specific goals for this visit, Probably focus on rides the kids really want to revisit, character meets and SotMK or maybe the Pirates scavenger hunt. May park hop if we are so inclined.
Planned dining: Turkey legs, chili fries and a Kitchen Sink
OOP dining

Day 8: 9/2 - HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS FINAL HURRAH
Finish out the day with RD at HS - this is our kids' favorite park. If it's anything like last trip, it will involve 7 or 8 rides on Star Tours. Will hit up either Frozen or BATB, whichever we missed on day 1.
Planned Dining: 50s Prime Time Cafe
OOP dining

Day 9: 9/3 HOMEWARD BOUND!


Feedback/suggestions are welcome!

 

[Spencer Wright]

Following!

I am going in August also for a comparable length. We are thinking about doing Crystal Palace for lunch. We had breakfast there years ago. As far as I can tell from researching, the food is good but nothing innovative. But it is in the center of MK, and we prefer buffets since we can sort of "come and go" as we please, and if we don't like one thing, can easily try something else.

Looks like a great itinerary!

 

[siren0119]

Following!

I am going in August also for a comparable length. We are thinking about doing Crystal Palace for lunch. We had breakfast there years ago. As far as I can tell from researching, the food is good but nothing innovative. But it is in the center of MK, and we prefer buffets since we can sort of "come and go" as we please, and if we don't like one thing, can easily try something else.

Looks like a great itinerary!

Thanks! Crystal Palace is one I'd like to try but mostly because of the characters. My kids are pretty plain vanilla when it comes to food, so we save more "interesting meals" like Sanaa for when hubby and I go without them LOL. I agree about the buffets- I feel like we get our money's worth when we can just fill up on what we really like. Plus with two boys approaching tween/teenhood, their bellies are bottomless pits so they will eat their weight in food

Have you done the dining plan before? It is really new territory for us!

 

[Spencer Wright]

....I feel like we get our money's worth when we can just fill up on what we really like. Plus with two boys approaching tween/teenhood, their bellies are bottomless pits so they will eat their weight in food

Have you done the dining plan before? It is really new territory for us!

Thats why we started doing buffets!

I have done the 'regular' plan on all trips, so I am very familiar. Disney does a really excellent job being clear about what is covered, and what is not, which is very helpful.

One thing I did notice, on day 6 I might recommend dinner at Boma? AKL is really cool and it is a great place to cool down after AK.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

 

[siren0119]

Thats why we started doing buffets!

I have done the 'regular' plan on all trips, so I am very familiar. Disney does a really excellent job being clear about what is covered, and what is not, which is very helpful.

One thing I did notice, on day 6 I might recommend dinner at Boma? AKL is really cool and it is a great place to cool down after AK.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

I want to try one of the AKL restaurants, but is it a pain to go between the park and the lodge? We figured on just grabbing quick food since we will be paying OOP at that point in our trip, but if it's worthwhile and wouldn't cut hugely into our day, I would LOVE to see AKL!

 

[Spencer Wright]

I want to try one of the AKL restaurants, but is it a pain to go between the park and the lodge? We figured on just grabbing quick food since we will be paying OOP at that point in our trip, but if it's worthwhile and wouldn't cut hugely into our day, I would LOVE to see AKL!

You do have to take the bus, which is about a five minute trip. Flame Tree BBQ is delicious with lots of food!

 

[siren0119]

You do have to take the bus, which is about a five minute trip. Flame Tree BBQ is delicious with lots of food!

YES - my two favorite things in AK are Flame Tree BBQ and the chicken skewer from Harambe's. AK is one of my favorite parks! My kids are more HS fans, when we were there in 2017 we rode Star Tours well over 10 times LOL.

 

[ThePin Princess]

Hi there!! Just joining in! I'm from MA too!! Woot woot!! And we're also going in August 2019! And we're taking my nephews and they're the same age as your boys!! It'll be my nephews first trip! Looks like you have a pretty solid plan! Can't wait to see how your trip comes together as well!

What are some of your boys favorite things to do?! We're an all girl family other than my nephews so our trips are usually princess oriented! I'm excited to do a trip with the boys and experience a bunch of new things!

 

[siren0119]

PRELIMINARY FASTPASS PLANS: TAKE 1

I wanted to jot down overall plans for Fastpasses, even though we have 5 months before we can do anything about them!

I don't stress too much about Fastpass reservations - our DS12 has a disability that qualifies for DAS, so we have the benefit of getting return times on rides with long lines. But we try to balance out using DAS with booked fastpasses so we aren't abusing the system. We know DS can handle lines up to about 40 minutes and will take the standby line if we know the line is in his tolerable limit.

Day 1: HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
We have plans to RD at the end of the trip, but we're going to try for
Toy Story Mania
Slinky Dog Dash
Tower of Terror

Day 2: MNSSHP
IF we can get a FP for 7DMT or Splash Mountain for the 4-6pm time frame before the party starts, I'll grab it.

Day 3: EPCOT and MK Evening EMH
Test Track
Frozen Ever After
Soarin

Day 4: ANIMAL KINGDOM
We're going to hit Epcot morning EMH to get a couple more things in before having breakfast at Garden Grill and then heading to AK. So our FP will be for AK.
FoP
Dinosaur
Expedition Everest
- we won't do FP for Rivers of Light, as we plan to do the Tusker House/ROL dining.

Day 5: MAGIC KINGDOM with EMH
It's a party day, so we will hit EMH and stay right until 6pm, then head over to Fort Wilderness to explore before HDDR.
Fastpasses will hopefully be:
7DMT
Peter Pan
Pirates, but possibly the M&G with Mickey and Minnie in their Celebration outfits

Day 6: ANIMAL KINGDOM with EMH
We plan to Rope Drop FoP, then use our FP for other attractions
Festival of the Lion King
Navi River
Expedition Everest

Day 7: MAGIC KINGDOM
WE'll RD 7DMT and aim for
Peter Pan
Splash Mountain
Tomorrowland Speedway

Day 8: HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
We'll RD Slinky Dog here, then let the kids dictate the rest of the day for the most part.
Toy Story Mania
Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway (if it's open) otherwise Beauty and the Beast
Alien Swirling Saucers


FP selections were based on a tentative plan created in Touring Plans, once we have ADR's in place I'll have a better idea of what the daily schedule will look like!

 

[siren0119]

Hi there!! Just joining in! I'm from MA too!! Woot woot!! And we're also going in August 2019! And we're taking my nephews and they're the same age as your boys!! It'll be my nephews first trip! Looks like you have a pretty solid plan! Can't wait to see how your trip comes together as well!

What are some of your boys favorite things to do?! We're an all girl family other than my nephews so our trips are usually princess oriented! I'm excited to do a trip with the boys and experience a bunch of new things!

YAY! My boys are all STAR WARS, all the time LOL. Star Tours was one of their all time favorites, and Jedi Training. They also went NUTS for Pandora and Flight of Passage. But to be honest, they got more excited about meeting characters than I thought they would...not so much princesses, but Fab 5, Winnie the Pooh, Baymax, the SW Characters in Launch Bay. I love that they got caught up in the magic!

 

[siren0119]

SNACK ATTACK

So one of the things plaguing me as a new Dining Plan user is how to make the most of snacks. I found THIS great post on another thread and thought it would help me to start a basic list of snacks we'd most likely enjoy in each park. We will have a total of 32 snack credits to burn on the first leg of our trip (8/26-8/20). Here's my beginning snack attack!

If you have favorite uses of a snack credit that aren't on here, PLEASE share them! I plan to keep a list on my phone when we're there

MK
Gaston's Cinnamon Bun
Sleepy Hollow waffle with strawberries
Plaza Ice Cream All american sundae
Aloha Aisle dole whip
Big top treats (circus area) or Main St Confectionary for fudge, cookies, caramel apples, etc

AK
Kusafari Elephant ear pastry
Eight Spoon Cafe Mac & Cheese with pulled pork - (OK I'm WAAAY too excited about this one)
Flame Tree cheese fries with pulled pork, onion ring basket

EP
Refreshment Port: Poutine
France: Les Halles- Roule Lard & Fromage, Napoleon, Crepes de Chefs de France, L'Artisan des Glaces macaron sandwich
Japan: Kabuki Cafe Kakigori, sushi if want savory
Germany Sommerfest noodles gratin, Karamel Kuche anything
Norway: Kringla troll horn, berry puff, school bread

HS
Trolley Car- Carrot cake cookie, chocolate peanut butter cupcake
Oasis canteen- funnel cake sundaes
Woody's Lunch Box tarts

 

[siren0119]

FLY AWAY LITTLE BIRDIES

The plans they are a'changin

When I first booked All Star Music on Priceline, I kind of did it without any REAL plans to come back to Disney this year. I hit an AMAZING deal on PL Express, and just bought up as many days as I could afford in the moment. What can I say...I don't impulse buy often, but when I do I go BIG.

I figured it would be cheaper for us to drive down, knowing I could put that expense off until the week of the trip. Plus by my early estimates, plane tickets would run us almost double what I figured our gas/tolls/extra oil change would cost.

Whoops.

Southwest released their fares.

I have Southwest points.

I actually had a LOT of Southwest points for someone who rarely flies.

Yes, HAD.

We are now the proud owners of 4 one-way tickets on Southwest from Orlando to Boston, for a whopping ******** $100. I had to pay for one fare out of pocket, but considering I don't fly much at all, getting 3 tickets free was pretty amazing. The catch was, it leaves the day AFTER we check out of ASMu.

Then I found a one-way flight on Delta going to Orlando, all 4 tickets would run us $354. Still a fantastic fare. And combined, the two flights cost close enough to the cost of the drive down that it's worth saving the 30 hrs of driving. The catch here? It leaves the day BEFORE we check in to ASMu.

Oh wait.

I also have HILTON POINTS. LOTS of Hilton points.

Whoops.


So now we're flying instead of driving, and I have the Hilton Garden Inn near the airport booked for the night before Disney check-in, and the night before we fly home. HGI has a free airport shuttle, and now I just have to figure out how to coordinate that with DME.

 

[siren0119]

ARRIVALS, DINING AND PARK DAYS, take 2

New game plan now that we are flying instead of driving!

8/25 - late flight into MCO, arrive around 11:15 PM. Staying overnight at the Hilton Garden Inn near the airport, will take their free shuttle to the hotel and ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz.

8/26 - free continental breakfast at the hotel, early shuttle back to MCO to pick up MDE! Stow our luggage with Bell Services at All Star Music, touch base with the front desk to make sure we'll get a text with our room assignment, then hop the bus to Hollywood Studios!
Food: QS late lunch, possibly Woody's Lunchbox
Specific park goals: Either BATB or Frozen Sing Along, and Fantasmic

8/27 - Sleep in, brunch at a resort, swim, then MNSSHP! So glad things worked out that we don't need to use a park day in the morning!
Food: Bon Voyage Breakfast at Trattorio
Specific park goals: Boo to You, the Hocus Pocus show (we missed this last year!) and whatever the kids want to do

8/28 - Head to Epcot whenever the kids want to get up. Possible Evening EMH at MK.
Food: Something QS in world showcase for early lunch, Storybook at AP for late-ish dinner if I can snag a reservation!
Park Goals: Spaceship Earth (hubby's favorite), The Seas, Agent P's adventure in WS. We're on the fence about Illuminations in general, my kids got fireworks overload on our last trip. Might depend on whether the interim show is going on.

8/29 - Possible morning EMH at Epcot and breakfast, then AK for the rest of the day.
Food: Garden Grille breakfast, possible Tusker House late lunch/early dinner (maybe a ROL package? heard mixed things about it)
Park goals: Either Nemo or FOTLK, Pandora at night.

8/30 - possible morning EMH at MK, and it's a party day so we will be out of the park by 6pm. Boat to FW and will hang out/explore there till dinner.
Food: BOG breakfast (and with EMH time won't matter as much), HDDR dinner. Hoping to snag an 8:30 Cat 1 reservation!
Park goals: Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, Splash Mountain, Tom sawyer's island (all things the kids didn't get to do on our last trip)

8/31 - Possible morning EMH at AK, so we might go visit AKL midday for lunch/relax break.
Food: Dining plan will have ended, so probably pack food and maybe Sanaa for lunch to get out of the park a bit.
Park goals: Nemo or FOTLK, whichever we missed the first time. Tree of Life. As many character meets as we can do!

9/1 - We will start in MK, and then just let the kids decide what else they want to do! Wouldn't mind popping out POR to check out that resort since I want to stay there the next time we come.
Food: A kitchen sink, and whatever QS the kids are craving depending on where we are.
Park goals: NONE! Wherever the wind takes us

9/2 - Rope Drop HS - it's our kids' favorite park.
Food: 50's Prime Time diner for late lunch.
Park goals: either Frozen Sing Along or BATB, whichever we missed the first time. All the Star Wars.

9/3 - Check out of All Star Music, store luggage with Bell Services. We might Uber to AofA for the animation class! Disney Springs for lunch/last round of souvenirs. Will arrange for DME mid/late afternoon back to MCO. Staying overnight at the Hilton Garden Inn again, so will grab the hotel shuttle, check in, swim and relax.

9/4 - Early flight home! Kids start school the next day