Perpetually Tinkering with my Trip Plans...

[Where'sPiglet?]

Hello! I’m planning a trip for summer 2021. I went last August, so I’m already familiar with The Unprecedented Times version of Disney World. I keep meaning to write a trip report for that, because I’d like to remember how unique that trip was. Well, I hope it’s going to be considered unique! I even have that report partially written, so I still may get it going.

I am a DVC owner at some point in early 2020, I was actually maxed out on my points - I mean I had zero left to borrow. They were all spoken for in reservations, until the closures and cancellations happened. The first to go was my April 2020 Grand Californian reservation. Anyway, my 2020 trip used only points that would otherwise have expired, plus a few. I could have used more points and stayed longer, but I wasn’t super comfortable with traveling, so I kept it shorter than my original plan. Part of what got cut was what would have been my first trip to Universal Studios.

This upcoming trip is also using only points that would otherwise expire. So yeah, I went from being fully maxed out to worrying about points expiring, but so far it’s worked out.

I’m a chronic tinkerer with my trip plans, and I’ve already been making changes and I’m not done finalizing things yet, so here we are.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Day 0

I’m calling this Day 0 because I have a red-eye flight on the way down. I live in Washington State, and I cannot get a direct flight to Orlando from my local airport. I primarily fly Alaska or Delta and my options are usually flying in the evening with a red-eye or leaving first thing in the morning and arriving in Orlando in the evening.

I went with the red-eye on this trip. It’s not my favorite, but hopefully I can sleep well enough on the flights. Also, it was substantially cheaper than the daytime flight options. I’m flying Delta this time and I get a free checked bag using my Delta Amex.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Day 1

I am scheduled to arrive at MCO at about 5am (yawn) and I’m hoping to get a sausage, egg, and cheese on a croissant from Dunkin along with some coffee. I love Dunkin, but we don’t have one where I live, so I take advantage when I can.

In 2020, I rented a car and it kind of spoiled me, but I want to take the Magical Express since it’s going to be discontinued.

I’m going to be starting out at Bay Lake Tower. I got a theme park view for two reasons. One, I had a lake view last year and I had a partial view of Magic Kingdom and really liked looking at it. The other reason relates to the number of points I need to use. I could have gotten a 1-bedroom, but I didn’t want to spend that many points since my Bay Lake contract is pretty small. Actually, I have three contracts and none are large.
My hope is that I’ll be able to drop off my luggage at bell services and then make it to the Magic Kingdom for rope drop. This will be dependent on the punctuality of my flight, the length of time the Magical Express takes, and the time the park opens that day.

The last time I took the Magical Express, it was 2019 and they actually put my friend and I on the wrong bus. When they loaded the last party, they were two seats short, which we found odd. Then, they announced the resorts we were going to, and ours was NOT one of them. We said something, and they said not to worry, they’d take us to our resort too. Yeah, we should have insisted on getting off. The driver was new, and probably shouldn’t have actually been driving passengers yet based on her proficiency level. They weren’t showing the regular magic bus movie. We watched Incredibles 2 instead, and saw nearly the entire show. I’m hoping this bus ride is more … normal.

My plan is to stay in the Magic Kingdom until early afternoon. Then, I will go to the Car Care Center to pick up a car rental. I’m going to need it for the next day.

Then, depending on how tired I am and if my room is ready or not, I might swim or take a nap before returning to the Magic Kingdom for the evening. I don’t want to stay up too late; the next morning will be a pretty early one.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Day 2

I’m really looking forward to this day! I’m doing something I haven’t done before - Discovery Cove! They are a small park that is within the Sea World system of parks, and they have a coral reef, lazy river, aviary, and dolphin swim!

They were having a sale around Christmas and I was able to buy the package that has Discovery Cove admission, swim with the dolphins, Sea World admission, Aquatica admission, Busch Gardens admission, and free parking at SW, Aq, and BG ...for $205! The same package is over $500 now for some dates; the price goes up as spots are reserved.

Discovery Cove admission is very limited each day, and the admission price includes breakfast and lunch as well as gear and lockers. They also have several paid add-on experiences, and I’m still deciding if I want to add more than just the dolphin swim that I paid for when I booked. You can buy admission that includes the dolphin swim or not.

Discovery Cove opens at 9, but they start doing check-in at 7:30, which is the time I’m hoping to be there. However, I’m a bit concerned because I am not a morning person, I have a 3-hour time difference from home, and I had the red-eye the night before. Yikes. I’ll be setting multiple alarms. Also, in the weeks leading up to the trip, I’ll be rolling back my morning wake-up time to 3 or 4am to be better prepared for the time change. I’ve done that before and it’s been really beneficial.

At check-in, they schedule your day, and I’m hoping to get a morning dolphin time since the afternoon is more at risk of pop-up storms. Also, if you have more than one experience booked, they work to schedule your activities so there are no conflicts.

You might be wondering why I booked Discovery Cove for the second day of the trip and when I’m staying walking distance from the Magic Kingdom. I was recently wondering this myself, and considered changing the date, but I couldn’t without paying a LOT more. Then I remembered I booked it for early in the trip in case there was a tropical storm. They’ll rebook you at no cost if that’s the case, and early in the trip provides more opportunities for that.

The park is open until 5. I actually have a Magic Kingdom park reservation for this day also. I may end up canceling it because I think I’ll be really tired by the evening, but I want to keep my options open at this point since I’ll be so close to the park. I could pop in and ride a few things. Last summer, MK was open until 8, so I’m guessing it will be open until at least that this summer, but I’ll have to keep an eye on it so I don’t have a park reservation I won’t use at all.

I’m not worried about wasting a park day for a few hours because I have an unused Annual Pass voucher sitting in my account, which I am planning to activate on this trip. I bought it from AAA shortly after the parks closed, so I could lock in an AP for the future. It expires at the end of 2030, and I actually considered buying more than one, although they are allowing renewals at this point, so hopefully just the one will be fine. I did not activate it on my last trip, because I only went into the parks on three days, so I just bought regular admission tickets.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Day 3

This day is one I’ve been tinkering with.

Option 1: Magic Kingdom. This is what I originally reserved, since I am staying at Bay Lake and can walk to and from the park and it makes the most sense to take advantage of this location!

Option 2: Sea World. I have this also booked for Day 9, but it is a bit strange to have off-site activities scattered throughout my trip because then I have to rent a car for a longer period of time or be reliant on Lyft/Uber. So I moved this to Day 2 to have all my off-site activities in a row.

Sea World admission is included with my Discovery Cove package. When I upgraded to add Busch Gardens, that upgrade also includes free parking at SeaWorld. The price difference between those two levels when it was on sale was only $20, and parking at SeaWorld for a day is $25, so it basically pays for itself even if I don’t make the trek to Tampa.

I have never been to SeaWorld before, so I’m looking forward to this. There are several add-on experiences that I’m considering. I have the beluga experience booked for the Day 9 date, but I am considering canceling it. Also, I’m considering the penguin experience. They actually have two, and they’re at different price points. The more expensive one has emperor penguins. I’m also considering getting the quick queue that includes priority seating for shows - it’s $40 for my date, so not bad. I haven’t bought it yet since I believe that add-on is non-refundable. The animal experiences can be changed or canceled, so it’s less risk to book those while I’m still tinkering with my plans.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Day 4

I am checking out of Bay Lake Tower this morning and moving to, well, I’m not totally sure yet. I have both Royal Pacific and Polynesian booked for this night.

I booked Royal Pacific because I want to add Universal Studios to my trip, especially if I decide to scrap Busch Gardens, which I haven’t committed fully to scrapping ...yet.

The reason I want to stay at Royal Pacific for the night is to get the Unlimited Express pass for two days. It’s included when you stay at one of their three top tier hotels, and it’s good for the day you check in and the day you check out. The price for a single day of the Unlimited Express Pass is $140 per person (on top of the admission ticket!), but I’m paying $308 inclusive of tax for the night at Royal Pacific. This is the AP rate, since I’m planning on buying an AP for my admission ticket. The price of an AP is not substantially more than the price of a 2-day, 2-park ticket.

However, I’m considering getting the top tier AP instead of spending the night at Royal Pacific. I’m already doing at 3 hotels for WDW and this adds yet another move. The top tier AP includes free parking at the theme park (but not their hotels) as well as Express Pass (1 ride/day) after 4pm. It also includes food and merchandise discounts and some early entry dates. There are 4 levels of AP at Universal, and the bottom two include blackout dates in summer, so that leaves me with the two more expensive options anyway.

With the AP, I can go again next summer also, and possibly book a night or two at one of Universal’s hotels then, to take advantage of their pools and proximity to their parks.

I thought it might make more sense to stay at Saratoga Springs instead of Bay Lake Tower or Polynesian while I’m making all these trips up I-4 to these other theme parks, since SSR is closer to I-4. However, when I put in directions in Google Maps to get estimated times, they’re within about 3 minutes of each other! It doesn’t make sense to me, but I’ll just go with it.

I’m excited to go to Universal Studios. I vaguely remember visiting the one in California back in the 90s, but I’ve never been to the Florida one, and I’m especially looking forward to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

I also have Epcot booked for this day, so again, it's a day with plans that haven't been totally decided yet.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Day 5

This is another day that is currently double-booked.

Option 1: Hollywood Studios

Option 2: Universal

I might be checking out of Royal Pacific into Polynesian, or maybe I will have spent the night at the Polynesian. If I’m at Royal Pacific, it will for sure be a Universal day.

It’s also possible that I do a little bit of both Hollywood Studios and Universal, especially if I cancel Royal Pacific. The express pass on the top-tier AP is good after 4p, so I could conceivably do several days where I do a Disney park in the morning and then go visit Universal after an afternoon nap and/or swim.


I guess that makes ...

Option 3: Hollywood Studios, then Universal

This seems like it would be the best option, but Universal isn't requiring park reservations, so their parks have sometimes reached capacity, so there's some risk with this plan for sure.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Day 6

Animal Kingdom

I only have this park booked for this day. I love Animal Kingdom; I think it’s my favorite park, although Magic Kingdom is a very close second.

Three of my favorite rides are at Animal Kingdom:

• Flight of Passage
• Expedition Everest
• Kilimanjaro Safari

The Festival of the Lion King is also amazing, and it looks like it will be open again on my next visit. It felt so weird to walk past the theater last year and not be able to enjoy the show.

Also, I can spend hours exploring this park. The foliage is beautiful and I love watching the animals on the trails. I also like to pet the goats at Rafiki’s Planet Watch.

The main downside to this park, especially in the summer, is the intense heat, and there are few indoor places to get an air conditioning break. I will probably need to take an afternoon break to swim. It’s possible that I do this at Blizzard Beach. I’m pretty sure the AP I have is the one that includes the water parks. I should confirm this. Otherwise, I’ll go back to the Polynesian for a swim or nap. The nap or swim decision is often determined for me by the weather, since afternoon thunderstorms are common in the summer.

Growing up, we traveled in the fall and would do the Rope Drop to Park Close touring style. I now travel mostly in the summer and have found that the Rope Drop to Afternoon Break and Back to Park Close is a much better option with the summer heat. Unfortunately, Covid has caused the park hours to be much shorter than they were in the past, so it’s harder to justify leaving the park when it closes hours earlier than it used to.

 

[kclark9830]

Your pre trip report makes me feel so much better about not having my plans lined up yet! Haha!

Staying at Bay Lake would be fantastic (but I really say that about almost all the WDW resorts.) It's been several years since we've been to Universal or Sea World. Discovery Cove sounds wonderful! I would like to try that some day.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Your pre trip report makes me feel so much better about not having my plans lined up yet! Haha!

Staying at Bay Lake would be fantastic (but I really say that about almost all the WDW resorts.) It's been several years since we've been to Universal or Sea World. Discovery Cove sounds wonderful! I would like to try that some day.

Truth be told, I enjoy tinkering with my trip plans! I just have to be really careful that I do not overcomplicate and/or overschedule things. My trip planning usually takes a trajectory of simple and basic to ridiculous and then back to somewhat simple, but probably more busy than it should be.

I am currently at Level Ridiculous with these plans and need to reign it back in. I do need to nail some decisions down soon, so I can cancel some of my car reservations. Every time I change something, I end up needing to make a different car reservation through Costco, but I haven't committed to the adjustments enough to cancel the others yet. Oops.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Day 7

This is the day that is giving me the most trouble with making a decision.

I do know I’m checking out of the Polynesian. I might be checking into Copper Creek Villas, or maybe the Hampton Inn & Suites Tampa Busch Gardens Area. I bought the ticket for Discovery Cove that includes admission to Busch Gardens Tampa, as well as free parking. I really love animals, so Busch Gardens sounds really cool. However, the price upgrade to add BG actually more than covers the SeaWorld parking, so if I don’t go, I am still getting some value.

However, their Trip Advisor rating has dropped from 4.8 to 4.6 recently. This doesn’t sound like a lot, but almost all the recent reviews have been only one circle, which is pretty crazy. Apparently, whatever they’re doing during Covid times has been ...not good. The reviews mention crowds, poor compliance with protocols, and long lines for what things are open. I’m still considering going because I mostly want to do animal things, and I haven’t seen many comments specifically speaking to that part of the park.

They have a lot of animal experiences that sound really cool. They have a Serengeti Safari, which you can currently only book once you arrive at the park. As of now, their opening time is 10am for this day. They also have a new animal experience where you get to see some Australian animals. They also have many rides, several of which are intense roller coasters.

Knowing how much I can linger when I am around animals, I booked the Hampton for the night ($137 including tax), because the park is open until 10 and I don’t want to drive back to WDW at that hour. This of course complicates the trip by adding yet another hotel. If I keep the Royal Pacific night, this means I’d be on Day 7 and hotel 4 - insanity! You have probably surmised by now that I am an overplanner, and you would be correct if you also presumed I am an overpacker. Moving this much would be a challenge.

My plan would be to drop off my bags before heading to the park, most likely with their luggage storage, although maybe a room would be ready. I don’t want to leave it in the car in the parking lot if I can avoid doing so.

The drive from Polynesian to Busch Gardens is only supposed to be an hour, but it seems a bit daunting to do as a day trip. I could theoretically visit without spending the night, but I don’t want to be driving tired, and a day at a theme park in Florida in the summer heat can be exhausting.

My other option is to check in to Copper Creek Villas and go to Hollywood Studios this day.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Day 8

I will either be waking up at Copper Creek or the Hampton Inn in Tampa, and the decision for Day 7 will also decide Day 8.

If I’m at Disney, this will be an Epcot day. I didn’t go to Epcot in 2020, and I’m interested in seeing the changes. But I also know Epcot is still missing most of the entertainment and cultural representatives, and World Showcase is just NOT going to be the same without them.

My option if I’m in Tampa is going to be Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park Zoo. It’s not terribly far from Busch Gardens, so I think this would work well. I believe the hours are 9:30-5, so I’d be driving back to Disney still in daylight. I’d leave my luggage at the Hampton before going to the zoo, then fetching it before the drive back.

This zoo also has some add-on animal encounters and it also seems like it’d be a more relaxing day than the theme park days. They have a giraffe encounter as well as a koala encounter; both of those have piqued my interest.

I also could skip the zoo entirely and head back early in the morning to go to Disney and either have a resort day or go to Epcot.

In the evening, I might go to Disney Springs or just relax. I’ll be at Copper Creek this day, and I haven’t stayed there before, so this is exciting. I have stayed at what is now Boulder Ridge (the Villas at Wilderness Lodge) years ago for a night, so I do know I like the property and that it can be relaxing.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Day 10

I have simple plans for this day: Magic Kingdom.

I also only have one hotel booked for this day: Copper Creek.

I might also relax at the hotel, go to a water park, or park hop. Also, my Discovery Cove ticket includes admission to Aquatica, which is a SeaWorld network water park. I might need to visit it at some point too.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Day 11

I have simple plans for this day: Hollywood Studios. Hopefully by this point I will have managed to ride the elusive Ride of the Resistance. It’s getting increasingly difficult to avoid spoilers for this attraction.

I also only have one hotel booked for this day: Copper Creek.

I might also relax at the hotel, go to a water park, or park hop.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Day 12

It’s the check-out day for Copper Creek. I have Animal Kingdom booked for this day. It’s my Departure Day Park, because it has the most flexible touring plans. I can linger on the trails and enjoy the animals without worrying about ride lines. On the flip side, if I want to get in “one last ride”, this is not a good park to do so, especially with Kilimanjaro Safaris. Because the animals can walk on the paths, the ride can be much longer than anticipated, so it’s not a good one to do if you’re on a schedule.

My flight home is usually at 4 or 5 or so, but I’m not actually flying home this time! I have a 9p direct flight to Minneapolis. My brother moved to Wisconsin, and I am going to visit him, my SIL, and my nieces and nephew. They moved there last summer, and I went there when they moved, but I canceled my Christmas trip due to the high Covid numbers.

My flight gets in just a bit before midnight, so I’m spending the night at an airport hotel. As you might have guessed, I have two options booked for this night.

One is a Hampton across the street from the airport. The other is the new InterContinental that is on the airport grounds, although since I will have checked baggage, I can’t walk there. It’s a little confusing to me, but I guess there’s a sky bridge if you only have a carry-on, but if you need to go to baggage claim, you can’t walk there since the sky bridge connects to a secure area. Both hotels have a shuttle, and so I will likely rent a car the following morning (instead of that night) before driving over to Wisconsin.

I also could possibly modify my flight to go into La Crosse or Madison, both of which are closer to where my brother lives than Minneapolis. However, MSP has a direct flight home, so that is an appealing option. I haven’t booked my flight home from Wisconsin yet.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Days 13+

Wisconsin Possible Activities:

• Henry Vilas Zoo (in Madison)
  • If I don’t go to Zoo Tampa, we’ll for sure spend some time here
• State Parks:
  • Wildcat Mountain
  • Castle Mound (part of Black River State Forest)
  • Mill Bluff
  • Devil’s Lake
• Lake Superior/Madeline Island
  • My only experience with the great lakes is flying over Lake Erie between Detroit and Albany, so this is appealing. It’s also pretty far from where my brother lives, though.
• The Dells, although this might be a better option on a trip that isn’t literally on the heels of so many Florida theme parks

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I think I’ve made some decisions and will start canceling some things:

Day 1: Magic Kingdom, Bay Lake Tower
-3p get rental car from Car Care Center ($266 through Costco - Enterprise - return on Day 7)
-I believe I saw somewhere that the Car Care Center has a free shuttle

Day 2: Discovery Cove and Magic Kingdom, Bay Lake Tower

Day 3: SeaWorld, Bay Lake Tower
-considering getting the Quick Queue with Reserved Show Seating ($40) so I have more time to view the animal exhibits
-cancel Magic Kingdom park reservation; relax and/or go to Disney Springs if I don't spend all day at SeaWorld

Day 4: Universal, Royal Pacific
-cancel Epcot park reservation
-probably will get Preferred AP instead of Premier - no blackout dates but no express pass after 4 - since I'm staying on site I don't need it, but what about next year?
-waiting to cancel Polynesian

Day 5: Universal, Polynesian
-cancel Hollywood studios park reservation

Day 6: Animal Kingdom, Polynesian

Day 7: Epcot, Copper Creek (Wilderness Lodge)
-cancel Busch Gardens, cancel Tampa Hampton
-return car to car care center

Day 8: Hollywood Studios, Copper Creek
-no Zoo Tampa (wasn’t booked yet)
-I swapped Epcot and Hollywood Studios days (7 & 8) in case I get a boarding group; I won’t need to stress about the 3p car rental return

Day 9: Animal Kingdom, Copper Creek
-cancel SeaWorld & the beluga experience I booked

Day 10: Magic Kingdom, Copper Creek

Day 11: Hollywood Studios, Copper Creek

Day 12: Animal Kingdom, 9p flight
-I still need to decide on the hotel for this night near MSP

I also have a length of stay car rental booked for $577 (to/from MCO) and one that is 3 days longer than the $266 rental that is $405 (returns on Day 10 instead of 7), but I will probably stick with the $266 one, unless I see lower prices and adjust it (again).

 

[portocall]

I'm exhausted and all I had to do was read it.

Wise choice skipping Tampa this time in my opinion. It isn't that far, but the drive is stressful.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I'm exhausted and all I had to do was read it.

Wise choice skipping Tampa this time in my opinion. It isn't that far, but the drive is stressful.

Well, I can be wordy

I still want to see the giraffes, but this plan feels better.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I saw a new flight option yesterday that would get me in at 1130p on Day 0. It seemed like it might be a good option. But:
1 - it costs more
2 - I am unable to change it online; I'd have to call
3 - Bay Lake is unavailable, so I'd either have to change after one VERY SHORT night or change my first several nights

So I think that even though the red eye option is unpalatable, it's okay.

Edit: It costs even MORE now than it did the other day. I am keeping my flight to Orlando the way it is.