Our First Disney Vacation! A journal on the journey to September 7, 2011!

[L-Harper]

I am very excited to finally be able to start my pre-trip report! We have been planning this vacation since December of 2009.

I am L-Harper and have been happily married to Mr. M-Harper for 4 1/2 years. We have 2 boys, Little N who is 3 and Little T who is 1. We will be celebrating the boys' 4th and 2nd birthdays just before we go to Disney. We will also be celebrating our first times to Disney. Mr. M-Harper went in high school 15 or so years ago, but the boys and I have never been. So needless to say, we are nearly jumping out of our skin!


Vacation Details:

When- September 7-16, 2011
Where- POP Century Resort

Here is my adorable little family:

My plan is to journal our journey until we leave for our vacation. I’m amazed at how much there is to research about WDW! So stay tuned, there will be so much more to this pre-trip report!

My hope is that all of you help me with reviews, advice, feedback and comments. I want this to be a very special vacation for my family!


Our Journey & Plans

Our Dining Plans
Our Disney Countdown Dream Board
Flights Booked!
The vacation clothing shopping has begun!

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival / Magic Kingdom
Day 2 - Epcot World Showcase
Day 3 - Animal Kingdom / Open Evening
Day 4 - Rest Day / Downtown Disney
Day 5 - Magic Kingdom
Day 6 - Epcot Future World
Day 7 - Hollywood Studios / Boardwalk
Day 8 - Open Morning / Magic Kingdom
Day 9 - Open Morning / Animal Kingdom Lodge
Day 10 - Magic Kingdom / Departure

 

[L-Harper]

We will have the Regular Dining Plan for 9 nights.

Here are our meals:

Table Service:
September 7 - Chef Mickey's at 6:35p
September 8 - Le Cellier at 11:30a
September 9 - Tusker House at 8:15a
September 10 - Raglan Road at 5:45p
September 11 - none
September 12 - Coral Reef at 6:20p -or- Garden Grill at 7:05p
September 13 - Cape May Cafe at 6:25p
September 14 - 'Ohana at 5:15p
September 15 - Boma at 6:15p
September 16 - Crystal Palace at 11:40a


Counter Service Options:

Magic Kingdom
-Main Street Bakery
-Pecos Bill Tall Tale
-Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe
-Columbia Harbour House

Animal Kingdom
-Flame Tree Barbecue
-Yak & Yeti Counter Service

Epcot
-Sunshine Seasons
-Tangerine Cafe

Hollywood Studios
-Starring Rolls
-Toy Story Pizza Planet

Others
-Wolfgang Puck Express


-Most of our breakfasts will be eaten at Everything Pop.

 

[dizneeat]

Hi! Had to come over and check out your pre-trippie!

You have a beautiful family. Your sons are gorgeous!

We will be there at the same time next summer (Aug 13 - 21 OKW, Aug 21 - Sept 1 Disney Dream, Sept 1 - 14 OKW). So planning together should be fun.

Here is what I'm thinking so far for Table Service Meals:

-Chefs de France
-'Ohana
-Coral Reef
-San Angel Inn
-Crystal Palace
-Cape May
-Le Cellier for lunch
-T-Rex

Here is what I have on my list so far for options for Counter Service Meals:

-Wolfgang Puck Express
-Tangierine Café
-Cooke’s of Dublin
-Sunshine Seasons
-Flame Tree Barbecue
-Yak & Yeti Counter Service
-Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café
-Starring Rolls Café
-Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café

You have quite a few really nice restaurants on your list.

Let me give you my thoughts

-Chefs de France ... not a big fan (but we just live to close to the real France, I think!)
-'Ohana ... nice food, lots of fun for the kids and leave room for dessert, the bread pudding is to die for!
-Coral Reef ... nice food, the kids are going to love the fishtank
-San Angel Inn ... never been there
-Crystal Palace ... only been for breakfast, fun character interaction, nice breakfast food
-Cape May ... never been there
-Le Cellier for lunch ... yum, Pretzel bread and cheese soup, good steaks too!
-T-Rex ... never been there

CS

-Wolfgang Puck Express ... best value ever, huge portions, very good food
-Tangierine Café ... we had one really good and one really bad experience there, but people mostly rave about it and it is really good value for money
-Cooke’s of Dublin ... very good! just don't get the fruit cup
-Sunshine Seasons ... good food, huge variety
-Flame Tree Barbecue ...
-Yak & Yeti Counter Service ... we have only been to the TS place
-Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café ... huge portions (chicken and rib combo - easy to share)
-Starring Rolls Café ... good sandwiches, huge cupcakes -
-Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café ... had soso experiences, good and not so good

Fire away, if you have any questions!

 

[L-Harper]

Karin- Thank you so much for stopping over! I'm still enjoying the read of your post trip report. I knew you were going to comment on WPE! That is #1 on my must eat list, funny eh?

Thank you so much for your tips and recommendations! It's exciting that you'll be at WDW the same time we are in September. Maybe we'll run into one another. I'm still very early in my planning so I'm not even sure which questions to ask as of yet. I'm most excited to see the park hours for the time we'll be there, then the real planning will start.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Joining in!

What a beautiful family. And how exciting for your 1st Disney trip!! My boys were 4 and 6 on our first trip. They are now 9 and 11 and we are currently planning our 7th trip! (I just joined your September countdown thread) So there's a warning for you: Disney is addicting!!


We have been to all of the TS restaurants you have listed, except for Chefs de France, and I would recommend them all. Great choices. I would also throw Chef Mickey's in there if you can!

As for your CS choices we have been to: WPE - love it! Cooke's - hated it! Sunshine Seasons - thought it was okay. Cosmic Rays - thought it was okay. And Pecos - really liked it!

Hope that helps some!

Looking forward to your journey.

 

[annmarieda]

Thought I would join in. Your family is beautiful. How exciting a first trip!!!

You have some good choices for restaurants.

My take...

Chefs de France - ate here...was fine..but not a favorite of mine.

'Ohana - ate there..super yummy bread pudding and fun for the kids. we WILL be going back here.

Coral Reef - ate here.. actually really like the steaks there and the lobster bisque my dd can't get enough of. We will return here as well.

San Angel Inn - ate here...really really didn't like it. I need to give it another try though. My oldest dd really loved it.

Crystal Palace - at here and it is pretty good. The character interaction is really good.

Cape May - never been, but I think it is on my to do list for the next trip.

Le Cellier for lunch - been here and it is amazing. I love the smoothies and the pretzel bread.

T-Rex - never have been here...probably wont. Between it being in DTD and not on the dinning plan (right?) I don't know if I would trek there.

Wolfgang Puck Express- ate here..and it is a new favorite. Such a good value for a cs! I love the salmon!!!

Tangierine Café - ate here and it was ok. I am not sure if it was due to the humidity, but the baklava was a bit soggy.

Cooke’s of Dublin - never been

Sunshine Seasons - lots of choices. Strawberry shortcake is yummy!

Flame Tree Barbecue - I have been there, but it was a few years ago. I don't remember if I like it

Yak & Yeti Counter Service - been here..and with the large portions probably will again.

Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café - been here and even though the portion size is good, don't think we will go back.

Starring Rolls Café - been here and it is amazing. Good value. Since there is no kids meal...kids can order as an adult would. Wonderful deserts and the sandwiches are so large that adults could split. YUMMY!!

Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café - I do like this one. I know it is a lot like Cosmic Rays..but I like the taco salads and the atmosphere a bit more.

Can't wait to follow along for the next 9 months!!

 

[L-Harper]

Hello Momof2Disneyboys and annmarieda!

Thank you for joining my pre-trip report and for your sweet comments aobut my family. Your reviews and tips are very helpful! With this being our first vacation, we can only rely on what others tell us. I also want this to be a very special memory for our boys so I'm praying for no bad experiences.

 

[L-Harper]

I'm trying to plan our first day in the World, but its hard without having our flights booked yet. I'm trying to plan 2 separate options. One being that we get in sort of early and that I'll need to plan lunch and dinner. The other being that we'll get there in the afternoon and that we'll only need to be getting dinner.

My plan so far, either way, is that we drop our stuff off and head straight for Magic Kingdom. I'm dying to see Cinderella's Castle and my oldest son is most excited about seeing the fireworks over Cinderella's Castle! It's just perfect for us to do that on our first night.

If we get in later (which is what I'm expecting) we'll:
-See the Castle
-Tour Main St.
-Have a snack at Main Street Bakery
-Eat at a table service (possibly just a counter, but I'm hoping for a good TS)
-Maybe adventure around MK a little more
-Watch the fireworks

The only thing that is different if we get in earlier is that we would definitely be touring MK more than just Main St. and we'd also be getting lunch somewhere in MK at a QS.

My question... where should we eat our TS meal? Should we even eat a TS or should we just do a QS? We will be going back to MK for at least another morning/early-afternoon tour of MK, probably longer on another day. A friend of mine said that I could also head over to the Contemporary or the Poly to get a TS dinner. Since I've never been to WDW before I don't even know if this is a good option yet. So, what are all of your opinions? What would you do?

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Since you are arriving on the 7th and that is a Wednesday that is a great day to go to MK. We always hit MK on Wednesday and it's always very slow! (Mondays are terrible at MK, so stay away from that if you can)

For TS at MK I would go with the Crystal Palace. We have done breakfast and dinner there and both are excellent and the characters are great with the kids.

If you just want a CS so you can spend more time on rides and things, then I would recommend Casey's Corner or Pecos Bills.

If you want to venture out you can walk from the MK to the Contemporary in about 10 minutes. Then you could go to Chef Mickey's. That's always fun to do on the first night. Nothing says welcome to Disney more than meeting Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald with no wait!!

 

[L-Harper]

Since you are arriving on the 7th and that is a Wednesday that is a great day to go to MK. We always hit MK on Wednesday and it's always very slow! (Mondays are terrible at MK, so stay away from that if you can)

For TS at MK I would go with the Crystal Palace. We have done breakfast and dinner there and both are excellent and the characters are great with the kids.

If you just want a CS so you can spend more time on rides and things, then I would recommend Casey's Corner or Pecos Bills.

If you want to venture out you can walk from the MK to the Contemporary in about 10 minutes. Then you could go to Chef Mickey's. That's always fun to do on the first night. Nothing says welcome to Disney more than meeting Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald with no wait!!

THANK YOU for your recommendation to do Chef Mickey's on our first day!!! That is exactly what we're going to do!

 

[L-Harper]

And so the planning continues...

Right now I feel very organized, very confused, but I think I have a lot done so far. This planning is so exciting, but yet very stressful at the same time. Especially for a first-timer who doesn't know the shortcuts to get from point A to point B. For example, someone told me the other day that after Illuminations to take the monorail over to MK then head back to POP since the buses will be so full after the show at Epcot and we'll have a giant stroller.

I feel like I get a plan "set" then rethink it to death then get so confused. For a few days I was set that we'd go to Chef Mickey's on our first night, now I'm considering Crystal Palace since it's right in MK where we'll be. Then we'd go to Chef Mickey's on the Saturday since we want to have a low key down day. Thoughts?

I, at least, have our Saturday planned: (although this could very well change too)

-sleep in if we can
-have a character breakfast (thinking Chef Mickey's)
-explore POP and probably swim
-head to DTD
-lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express
-dinner at T-Rex (if I decide that its not too scary for the little ones)
-Night of Joy (DH and I are getting an in-room sitter for the boys!!!)

I also feel like I have our day in Animal Kingdom planned too, I'm just not sure which day we're going there yet.
-arrive at rope drop
-head straight for the safari and either wait for if its under 30 mins or get a Fastpass
-watch a show or two mid-day to escape the heat
-off course watch the parade
-dinner at Boma

The other days I am trying to plan are:
-Epcot FW possibly full day
-Epcot WS full day
-Magic Kingdom full day
-Hollywood Studios ½ Day & Tour Resorts

 

[L-Harper]

We have a change in plans!!!!! Well, an addition to our plans... We will be adding an additional 2 nights to our vacation and we'll be staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge with the Savanna View!!!! So, for now , we will be at Pop from the 7-14 and then heading over to Animal Kindom Lodge from the 14-16.

I have been drooling over AKL every since we started planning this trip in December or 2009. I knew that a week was going to be out of our price range for this upcoming trip. Adding these 2 extra days onto our trip is going to be just so awesome. The last 2 days at AKL are, hopefully, going to just be relaxing days enjoying the resort.

 

[dizneeat]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!

You are so going to love AKL, esp. in a Savannah room! It's a wonderful resort and there is so much to see! I am SO happy for you!!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

WOW that's awesome!! Congrats!

 

[L-Harper]

Thank you ladies! I am still in shock almost. When I was first thinking about it, I wasn't sure my husband would go for it. To my surprise, he did!!!

 

[annmarieda]

How cool will that be!!!! Congrats

 

[L-Harper]

As if this couldn't get ANY better, IT HAS!!!!

I just got an email from Disney for 40% off the rooms for AKL!!!!!!! So, now we get a better view - The Arusha View - we are getting it cheaper than when we were just going with the regular Savanna View before. I am SO freaking excited! Disney is really making this first trip to The World very magical!!!

 

[annmarieda]

As if this couldn't get ANY better, IT HAS!!!!

I just got an email from Disney for 40% off the rooms for AKL!!!!!!! So, now we get a better view - The Arusha View - we are getting it cheaper than when we were just going with the regular Savanna View before. I am SO freaking excited! Disney is really making this first trip to The World very magical!!!

I was wondering if you were lucky enough to get one of the pins for 40% off. So glad you did!!!

 

[WDWfanatic2]

I am very excited to finally be able to start my pre-trip report! We have been planning this vacation since December of 2009.

I am L-Harper and have been happily married to Mr. M-Harper for 4 1/2 years. We have 2 boys, Little N who is 3 and Little T who is 1. We will be celebrating the boys' 4th and 2nd birthdays just before we go to Disney. We will also be celebrating our first times to Disney. Mr. M-Harper went in high school 15 or so years ago, but the boys and I have never been. So needless to say, we are nearly jumping out of our skin!





My plan is to journal our journey until we leave for our vacation. I’m amazed at how much there is to research about WDW! So stay tuned, there will be so much more to this pre-trip report!

My hope is that all of you help me with reviews, advice, feedback and comments. I want this to be a very special vacation for my family!

Hi Harper! You're family is beautiful I just joined the board tonight and saw you on Sept and had to come say hello. We will be at the Wilderness Lodge 3rd-10th and my dd will be turning 2 right before our trip too! We took her last year for her 1st bday and I can tell you that the character meals are well worth it. She had an autograph book and knew to hand it to the characters at all the meals. Can't wait to start planning and so excited to see others going the same time. We have done a ton of restaurants so if you have any questions let me know.

 

[L-Harper]

Hi Harper! You're family is beautiful I just joined the board tonight and saw you on Sept and had to come say hello. We will be at the Wilderness Lodge 3rd-10th and my dd will be turning 2 right before our trip too! We took her last year for her 1st bday and I can tell you that the character meals are well worth it. She had an autograph book and knew to hand it to the characters at all the meals. Can't wait to start planning and so excited to see others going the same time. We have done a ton of restaurants so if you have any questions let me know.

Thank you for joining me on my journey! Thank you for your sweet comments about my family. It's exciting that we'll be in WDW at the same time! I would love any information on the restaurants that your DD liked the most. It's hard to plan since I've never been to WDW before. The planning really has been fun so far, but actually kind of stressful too. I'm glad that I have 8 months to plan.