Our First Stay at the Poly - April 2012 PTR!!

[DaveinFallsChurch]

From what I read, you certainly can order Kona down to the Cabana. It's not included on a dining plan though?? I think I read that.....

That's perfect! I've been eyeing the Kona burger on the menu. We'll definitely be ordering from Kona!

 

[wakica]

April 17th Magic Kingdom Morning

It took a lot of restraint on my part NOT to move up our MK day to the front of the trip. Personally, I love starting out my WDW vacation with a close-up view of Main Street and the Castle. But I decided to follow the flow of the crowd calendars and plan for an MK day when it's not relatively busy. And, I'm making up for it by making a solo visit during MK EMH on Day2!

I started out with the same problem. We were going to do AK b/c of our 1st park day being on a Sat but we ended up adding an extra day to our plans b/c of better flights and I was so thrilled to see that our first day would work out to be MK after all I would TOTALLY go with whichever park is expected to be quiet though so you are making the right choice I think.

Breakfast at Kona at 7:30am - Looking forward to some Tonga Toast and Pineapple/Macademia Pancakes!

YAY for Tonga Toast and Macadamia Nut pancakes!! I'm SSOO excited to taste them too - our Kona Day will be May 5th. I'll be enjoying the savory flavours between 10:30 and 11:30 am (is there a drool button?lol) OH and since you will be tasting them before me i hope you'll remember to pass along your thoughts that day

1. MK Rope Drop/Opening Ceremony at 8:45am - I LOVE this show. DW doesn't quite understand why I get so excited about seeing this. But I get goosebumps everytime I watch it! And it really gets me in the right mood for our MK day. Last trip, DD and I were humming and singing zip-a-dee-doo-dah all the way down Main Street after the show. On a separate note, I've tried to convince DW into showing up super early for a chance at getting picked as Family of the Day - no dice.

Splash is what does it for me. That sillly little happy tune they play just turned out for some reason to be my happy place!!! so i can relate.


9. Philharmonic - Haven't tried this one yet!
it's definitely a good show

April 17th Afternoon and Evening
This is the part of the plan that I'm far less optimistic that we'll be able to stick with it. This will be the fourth day of park touring and we would be coming off of a jam-packed morning in Fantasyland so I fully expect a slower step in everyone. I won't be surprised if we don't get half of the stuff done here, which will be fine since we have a second day to make up for any missed items.
I always try to keep our insanity to the morning through lunchtime and hit more quiet stuff in the afternoon too b/c it just seems to be the time of day you are more likely to want to wander from your schedule.


3. Splash Mountain: None of has tried this before so very excited! Are we going to need ponchos for this ride? Will use the FPs and possibly Riderswap depending on how much DD likes it.
You may get wet (the closest to the front will get wet unless it's a small kid then it'll fly over them and get those behind LOL) but NOT Kali River Rapids wet - i don't know that you'll need a poncho for it. i have been known to take a small towel with me like a hand towel and then i just hold it up when i expect the splash and it works. and by the way Splash is my Happy Place so i hope you all enjoy it lots. Unfortunately i've heard a lot of the animatronics aren't being kept up with so alot of them may not be workiing but it's not necesarily those that i like - it's the feel of it and the fun upbeat music I think.


5. Pirates of the Carribean: Ok, you probably figured out by now that this is one of the rides that will take a LOT of coaxing to get DD on board. Although to her credit, she did try it last trip. And didn't like it.

i hope she does it - I LOVE potc!!! We will ride it in the daytime and on our second visit in the dark just b/c it's pirates and more fun in the dark for us older people. lol

8. Jungle Cruise: Five Words. The Back Side of Water.
I've heard this one can be totally different in the dark so we are aiming to do it on our second visit at dark. hoping it sparks our interest more b/c we aren't huge fans of it.

11. FP run for Buzz Lightyear's Spin
GOTTA LOVE THIS RIDE

12. Laugh Floor: If I get picked as "That Guy", I'm probably going to looking for a crawl space.
We havn't seen this one yet!! It was on our "afternoon" schedule last tiime and DD and DH thought ahhh, let's just do stitch even though i said we should avoid stitch. They regretted it and i've been regretting it ever since b/c we never got in Laugh floor bc of it!! so we will not miss it this time. It's pretty good hey?

14. Wishes Dessert Party 9pm: Everybody loves Wishes in my family. We don't like crowds though. The last two trips were during off-peak times, so we had no problem finding a spot on the Tomorrowland Bridge. I'm thinking there may be a couple of more people this time. So, decided to splurge for this. The only downside is that we won't be able to watch the MSEP. We'll try to squeeze that in later in the trip somehow.

wow! That will be very nice!!!

Updating our plans for Day 1 at SeaWorld: I made reservations for the Up-Close Penguin Tour after watching some youtube videos and reading some reviews. It sounds like a fun activity and I'm pretty sure DD and DS will get a kick out of petting a penguin!

YAY!! Great choice!! I asked DD and she wants to do it too. We won't splurge for her to do it b/c we are already splurging for her to do surf lessons at TL and her and I to fun in the EE challenge but she said for that cost she will be happy to use her own money so she'll be doing it too. We will definitely be watching for you to post on it. Our day there will be May 7th i'm pretty sure.

April 18th

I can't believe I'm saying this, but this will be the day when there will be no ropedrops to make, no before the park opens ADRs, no late night firework shows, and no touring plans. In fact, there are no parks at all! (Hyperventilating here).

i think you are making a wise choice to have a rest day!! It will totally help to keep you all rested and able to enjoy the rest of your days. SSOOO worth it in my opinion

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

April 19th Morning

We should be recharged, refreshed, and re-energized after a relaxing lazy day at the Poly. Just in time for our second favorite park, Animal Kingdom!!

We're starting the day with an 8:05 am breakfast at Tusker House (Park opens at 9am). I know in the past there have been reports of the parking lot not being open in time for guests who have an early morning ADR - I haven't heard/seen any recent updates or reports about this but I'm a little nervous about taking our rental to AK this particular morning. I may consider using the bus system (gasp!) but as you will see, we will also have to make a trip to AKL in the evening and trying to get back to Poly from there by the buses seems like an awful lot of hassel as well.

Anyway, here's the touring plan for the morning at AK!

1. Kilimanjaro Safari: Depending on when we finish our breakfast, we will either get in the standby line or I will obtain FPs at 9am. We've tried this ride at different times of the day, and park opening time in the morning is our favorite. As has been noted many times on the boards, the animals tend to be more animated. My DD still remembers the ride from when she was 2 years old when an ostrich decided to stop in the middle of the roadway right in front of our tram. We patiently waited for about 5-6 minutes before it decided to move to the side of the tram. Crazy bird.

2. Pangani Forest Exploration Trail: For my family, the best parts of AK is enjoying the scenary and taking in the atmosphere. We become far less ride-centric in this park than others. I think that's why we enjoy it so much. It's a nice relaxing stroll through Disneyfied nature.

3. Festival of the Lion King: We love this show - probably our favorite show at WDW. Very colorful, very festive. Can't wait to see it again!

4. Camp Minnie and Mickey Character Greets: Ok, I'm planning on doing something I would normally not recommend. Getting in line to see the characters here at Camp Minnie and Mickey as we come out the exit doors of FOTLK. The best times to visit the characters here is during the 30-minutes while a the FOTLK is on-going. The worst times? You got it - when the show ends and dumps all those people out right in front the character greets. Oh well. I guess I would rather do this than rather come back again later in the day. AK is so spread out, really don't want to walk all the way back. This time, I'm also going to make an effort to see if we can check out Guitar Dan.

5. Lunch at Flame Tree BBQ by 12:00pm: We sort of stumbled upon this QS place during our last trip and was pleasantly surprised. Maybe it was because we were so tired of the usual nuggets/burger/fries fare, that we were just happy to get something a little different. I wouldn't go as far as saying it's the best BBQ I've tried (that honor goes to the Goode Company BBQ in Houston!) - but as far as Disney QS food goes, this is definitely one of the better ones if not one of the best.

And that ends the morning portion of our AK day. See what I mean? Not much packed in there!

Next Up: Digging for Bones, Jammin with Mickey, and Exploring AKL

 

[auprincess]

We are going to AK on the 19th, too. Also have breakfast ressies at Tusker House, but I think a little later ~ 9 something? Maybe 10. Anyway ~ hoping to get there at rope drop and get the safari in before breakfast. This will kind of be a go with the flow day for us. I feel like we never really take AK all in. I definitely want to do one of the trails, and Flights of Wonder. The only character we HAVE to see (besides who we see at breakfast) is Pocahontas. The past 3 times we've always seen her at Rafiki's. I wonder is she is still there or only at Camp Minnie~Mickey. And then we want to do, geez, I forgot the name, the raft ride and maybe I'll be brave enough to do EE this day. Oh, and I also want to see the parade. Okay ~ maybe my AK day isn't going to be as relaxed as I thought

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

We are going to AK on the 19th, too. Also have breakfast ressies at Tusker House, but I think a little later ~ 9 something? Maybe 10. Anyway ~ hoping to get there at rope drop and get the safari in before breakfast. This will kind of be a go with the flow day for us. I feel like we never really take AK all in. I definitely want to do one of the trails, and Flights of Wonder. The only character we HAVE to see (besides who we see at breakfast) is Pocahontas. The past 3 times we've always seen her at Rafiki's. I wonder is she is still there or only at Camp Minnie~Mickey. And then we want to do, geez, I forgot the name, the raft ride and maybe I'll be brave enough to do EE this day. Oh, and I also want to see the parade. Okay ~ maybe my AK day isn't going to be as relaxed as I thought

Maybe we'll bump into each other at AK!

Pocahontas is now meeting at Camp Minnie and Mickey. They moved her out of Rafikis and got rid of Jiminy Cricket a few months back. Poor Jiminy.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I'm sitting at BWI airport right now waiting to head out to Memphis for a conference. This is the same airport that we'll be flying out of to Orlando in 51 days. Just makes me wish I was going to Disney now.

 

[204charity]

I'm sitting at BWI airport right now waiting to head out to Memphis for a conference. This is the same airport that we'll be flying out of to Orlando in 51 days. Just makes me wish I was going to Disney now.

It will be here before you know it!!!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

It will be here before you know it!!!

Thanks, Charity! 50 days to go!

 

[auprincess]

Thanks, Charity! 50 days to go!

Oh my goodness ~ I can't believe we are at 50 days!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited! I was working on another sewing project this morning (a dress for middle dd for our trip) so Disney has really been on my mind today!!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Oh my goodness ~ I can't believe we are at 50 days!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited! I was working on another sewing project this morning (a dress for middle dd for our trip) so Disney has really been on my mind today!!

I know, we're getting closer and closer! I'm going to have to pay off the balance of the trip in the next couple of days.

 

[momtwoboys]

Just found your PTR and it looks good!!! Its getting closer! Just want to add something that might interest your kids at Epcot. During the flower garden festival they have different playscapes set up in a few different areas, and the kids love to spend some time there. They have a few that are geared for kids up to 12 and 1 or 2 that are for kids 2-5 years old. Be sure to check them out! Your DD might also enjoy the Chinese Acrobats!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Just found your PTR and it looks good!!! Its getting closer! Just want to add something that might interest your kids at Epcot. During the flower garden festival they have different playscapes set up in a few different areas, and the kids love to spend some time there. They have a few that are geared for kids up to 12 and 1 or 2 that are for kids 2-5 years old. Be sure to check them out! Your DD might also enjoy the Chinese Acrobats!

Thanks for joining in and for the playscape tips! I just looked them up in thejust released F+G guide and found them. Our kids are going to love it which means I will have to revise our touring plan to include some time for it.

We'll definitely will try to see the Chinese acrobats and as many steet performances we can find.

49 more days!!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Sitting at the Memphis airport getting ready to go home. Can't wait to resume my PTR activities......having serious withdrawal

 

[wakica]

welcome home - I'm assuming your home by now. lol

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

welcome home - I'm assuming your home by now. lol

Thanks! So good to be home and receive a warm welcome from my friends on DIS.

Yes I just got home after one of the more aggrevating flights I've had
First thing I did to relieve the stress, I paid off the balance of our vacation package with Disney!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

April 19th Afternoon and Evening

I have a bit more of an ambitious plan laid out for our AK afternoon compared to our morning plans. We'll see how it all works out. This is our touring plan coming out of lunch at Flame Tree BBQ.

1. Dinosaur Boneyard: I have about an hour allotted for this place which is about the amount of time we spent last year. The kids loved this playground and we didn't even try the fossil dig site on the other side of the bridge mainly because we didn't know about it! While the kids are burning off their energy here, the grown-ups will take turns trying out the Dinosaur ride using FPs. Forgot to include in the morning portion of the touring plan, that as we head for lunch, I was going to make a FP run to Dinosaur.

2. Finding Nemo Musical: We skipped this one last time mainly because we couldn't fit it in to our schedule. We say this one in 2008 and thought it was cute. The kids liked it, so we'll try it again. We'll see if DS can stay awake coming off of the Boneyard.

3. Flights of Wonder: We have yet to see this one but have heard so many good things about it from different people, that we are making it a MUST for this trip. On our way from Nemo to Flights, we will pick up FPs for EE.

4. Jungle Jammin Parade: Our favorite parade at WDW during our last trip. There was a lot of interaction for DD between the characters and CMs. I'm a little disappointed that they changed the parade route and it no longer includes the area in front of Tusker House. Last year, we caught the parade in front of TH during the second time around as the parade looped back to where it started from. Far less crowded than the first-go. We will most likely be staking out a spot near the Flights of Wonder in the Asia area.

5. Maharajah Jungle Trek: Something to do while waiting for the EE FP window to open up.

6. Expedition Everest using FPs: I got pretty dizzy and a bit nauseus after one ride last year. I may have to take Wakica's advice and turn my body around a bit when it starts going backwards. It's sad that I can't handle the rides as well as I used to. It's not helping my impending mid-life crisis either

And that concludes our touring plan for Animal Kingdom. Yup, there's a couple of things missing here but we are planning on spending the day here again on our departure day during which we will hit the attractions we didn't get a chance to do on this day.

We'll exit the park between 5:30-6:00pm and head over to AKL where we have a 6:25pm ADR at Boma. I can't wait to try Boma. I reeeeeally wanted to try it last year, but my Dad is very picky and particular about his cuisine, so we had left it out of our ADR rotation. Not this year! We'll also plan on exploring the resort grounds a bit before and after dinner including checking out the outlook areas with nightvision goggles. I haven't been to AKL yet, but the pictures look absolutely gorgeous. Whenever our next trip to Disney will be, we are planning on trying AKL so this little expedition will be a little teaser for us.

Next Up: Magic Kingdom Redux

 

[204charity]

Awesome afternoon planned Dave! Do you have a link to th F&G playscape info?

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Awesome afternoon planned Dave! Do you have a link to th F&G playscape info?

Hi Charity! Here's the link to the brochure.
http://www.wdwmagic.com/app_images/pdfs/flowerfest2012.pdf

It's items numbered 6 and 10 on the map. The one at Pixie Hollow looks like are for the younger kids while the one at Let's Get Moving are for both younger and older kids so this may work out better for you DD.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

April 20th

This will be DFIL's last day with us as he heads to the airport in the afternoon. But before he does, he will spend the morning with us at Magic Kingdom again! I don't have as detailed of a touring plan for this day - it's sort of like a bonus day for MK. We'll figure out which rides the kids want to go on again. And which rides DFIL wants to try again as well. Here's the general outline.

1. Cinderella's Royal Table Breakfast at 8:10am before the park opens: DW and I were thinking about skipping this one - we tried it last year, thought it was cool to eat inside the Castle, but didn't think we need to do it again. DD had other plans and placed this near the top of her to-do-list. So, we're once again ready for a before the park opening ADR. We'll be able to get a good picture on Main Street with the Castle as we head towards the restaurant!

2. Tomorrowland/Fantasyland Rides: For the first hour after breakfast, we'll plan on hitting a few rides in this area.

3. Tom Sawyer's Island: At 10am, when the rafts start running we'll hop on over to the island. I've read on DIS that they've discontinued hiding the paint brushes while Big Thunder undergoes refurbishment. It's a bit disappointing but the Island is plenty fun on its own. I have some childhood "trauma" associated with one of the caves in here. I think I was about 8 or 9 years old and I was "exploring" one of the caves. I remember there was this particularly dark area when some random older kid jumped out from the shadow growling to scare me. And scared me he did. Anyway, I don't think I've set foot in those caves ever since!! So far DD has not been interested in going in them - but when the day comes when my kids ask to go in them, I'll make sure to have them go in front of me. I know, such a great dad.

4. Adventureland/Frontierland/Tree House: Since we didn't get a chance to do the Tree House, we'll make sure to go through it for DFIL. Plus DD and DS loved this one last time. Never seen both of them so willingly climb up so many flights of steps/stairs without asking to be carried!! We'll also repeat any rides in this area that the kids want to.

5. Lunch at Peco Bills 2pm-1pm: Another favorite QS spot. After lunch, we'll all walk back to the park entrance area to say bye to DFIL/Grandpa. He'll take DME to the airport from the Poly.

6. Main Street: I want to spend about an hour exploring and enjoying the sights and sounds of Main Street. We've never done Main Street as an attraction before. It's always been a place where we walk right past through to get to somewhere else or we stop briefly to get a couple of souvenirs. I think it'll be fun to take a leisurely stroll through it this time and catch the Dapper Dans and the Main Street Philharmonic. Maybe we can catch the pianist at Casey's Corner as well.

7. Buzz Lightyear Meet and Greet: This will be for DS. He's been wanting to meet "Biteyear" as he calls him.

After that, it'll be completely up to the gang what we do. We'll head out of the park around 6pm to head over to our dinner ADR at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian at 6:45pm. Yeah, another Cindy event but we've never met the Tremaines before so this should be a lot of fun!


Next Up: One Last Hurrah at AK

 

[204charity]

Sounds awesome Dave! We also will be in MK this day. Starting in Tomorrowland and heading around the park again from there.