Plan A, Plan B, or Plan C? A May 2016 PTR (4/7/16 - Major schedule changes in post #11)

[cheshirecollector]

Hi, my name is cheshirecollector, so named because I have a Cheshire Cat collection. Since 1985, I've taken 10 trips to Walt Disney World, most of them solo trips. My 10th one, which was last year, got interrupted early when I tripped and fell a day and a half before I was supposed to leave. My trip this year is sort of a do-over trip. It's also the first time I'll be doing a trip report.

I've had myofascial pain syndrome, mostly affecting my hands and arms, for a couple decades. My last trip, however, was the first one where I had to deal with lumbar spondylolisthesis, which sometimes affects my ability to walk. So last year, I had in mind three versions of my trip:

Plan A: A normal trip, which I planned in detail, where I can walk wherever I want.

Plan B: A restricted trip, where I try not to backtrack too much, and I use in-park transportation as much as possible.

Plan C: A very restricted trip, where I only go a little way into my favorite parks (specifically, to Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom, and to the Land at Epcot), so I can do some of my favorite rides/attractions with as little walking as possible.

Last year, I ended up doing a combination of A and B. It wasn't because I had trouble walking, though. It was because it was so hot - 90° and up in May. I wore myself out the very first full day and had to take it easy from then on.

For this year's solo trip, I'm going to make a Plan A again, keeping open the possibility that I'll need B or C.

(Side note: In case you were wondering why I'm not renting a wheelchair or ECV, it's because my hand pain would interfere with using the controls.)

Next up: my reservations.

 

[cheshirecollector]

Hotel

One of the biggest changes I'm making in this year's trip is the hotel. I often stay at CBR, but last year I spent way too much time waiting for the bus at the Magic Kingdom, when I wanted to go back to the room before park hopping. Two of those hour-long waits in 90° heat did not put me in a very good mood.

This year, I'm staying at the Contemporary, my first stay there since 1993. It's my first deluxe stay since then as well. Finally, a room with closets again. I'm staying in the garden wing, so no balcony, but to be honest I've never stayed anywhere with a balcony at WDW.

If I can use Plan A, I can walk to the park and back. For Plans B and C, I can use the monorail. If I need a cab, it'll be easier to get one here. Standing and waiting can cause me leg/foot pain also, so avoiding buses is something I'm going to try to do as often as possible.

Transportation

Speaking of getting from place to place, I've hired a town car for the third trip in a row, to get to WDW as soon as possible. I don't use the Magical Express luggage delivery, because I like to make sure my luggage made it to Orlando before I leave the airport. One less thing to worry about.

ADRs

Another change I wanted to make to this trip is food related. In short, I didn't eat enough good food during the last trip.

Despite all the interesting food in World Showcase, especially during the Flower and Garden Festival, my walks around the world last year focused more on shopping. I ended up not buying anything, and not eating anything either. I also ate at my resort's food court too many times. I can only eat so many of the same sandwich before I get bored.

I've tried ADRs in the past, but I keep making the mistake of picking restaurants that are nowhere near where I'm going to be, and I end up canceling.

For this trip, I've chosen two places I'm guaranteed to be at: my hotel, and the Land at Epcot.

My trip runs from Thursday through Tuesday. On Friday morning, I'll be having the breakfast buffet at the Wave (I love breakfast buffets). On Sunday morning, I'll be eating at the Garden Grill at Epcot (looking forward to those cinnamon buns).

Next up: FP+

 

[cheshirecollector]

FastPass+

My chronic pain limits the rides I can go on, so it's fairly easy to get FastPass+ for all of my favorite rides. I don't go on anything at the Studios or Animal Kingdom, so I just need to worry about the other two parks.

Magic Kingdom

Half of my favorite rides/attractions here don't have the FastPass+ option:

Walt Disney World Railroad
Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover
Liberty Square Riverboat

I set up two nights' worth of FastPass+ for:

Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
Haunted Mansion
Jungle Cruise

(Side Note: I was heading for the Jungle Cruise, to ride it in the dark, when I tripped and fell during my last visit. I didn't make it back there. This time, I won't be crossing through the parade/fireworks crowd in the hub in the dark; I'll work my way around the park to get there.)

Epcot

Without Soarin' being available during this trip, I picked a morning's worth of FastPass+ (right after the Garden Grill breakfast) for:

Living with the Land
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Turtle Talk with Crush

That gives me two days with no FastPass+ reservations yet. I'm going to hold off on those for now.

Next up: my rough schedule.

 

[cheshirecollector]

Arrival Day

My arrival day is on a Thursday, after an early flight. Last year, my flight was a little later than I wanted it to be, and then the airline rescheduled it to be even later. So this year, I grabbed an earlier flight, and the airline made it even earlier.

Now, because of how long it takes me to get ready in the morning, I have to get up at 4 AM. Considering that I have trouble getting up at 6 AM for work, I'm not really looking forward to this. However, I am looking forward to getting to Walt Disney World early enough to go to a park on my arrival day.

Check-In

Once I get to the Contemporary, I'm hoping my room will be ready, though I'll be arriving a lot earlier than the check-in time. Whenever I get into my room, I'll be doing a bed bug check, which takes a while. I also have to pick up a package I'm having shipped there, before the convention center closes. Hopefully they'll store it with my luggage if my room isn't ready yet.

Park

My arrival date park will be the Magic Kingdom. I've timed my FastPass+ reservations (Monsters Inc., Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise) so that I'll make it around to the Jungle Cruise around sunset. I enjoy the nighttime cruises more than the daytime ones. Sunset is around 8 PM that night. Hopefully, I'll be able to get out of the park, or at least be walking on Main Street, before the parade starts.

I'll be going early enough to do all of my favorite rides that don't have a FastPass+ option as well. I'm the kind of person who likes to re-ride my favorites, so I won't be running out of things to do just because I get all my MK favorites in on the first day.

Food

Right now I'm planning on quick service for my meals on this day, depending on where in the park/hotel I am when I'm hungry.

Next up: Day 2

 

[cheshirecollector]

Day 2

My first full day starts with breakfast at the Wave at around 9:00am. It's not a pre-rope drop breakfast because of my early wake-up time the day before that. I'm going to do the buffet, even though that's not the only option there. I don't eat a lot, but I like buffets for the speed and convenience.

Parks

I'm planning on spending the evening at the Magic Kingdom again, but longer this time since the park doesn't close until midnight. It's an AM EMH day for the park, but hopefully the crowds will leave earlier than I get there. So, between breakfast and dinner, it's a free day for me. I may stop at the Animal Kingdom Lodge to look around (something I've been meaning to do for years), or Animal Kingdom, or Disney Springs. We'll see what I feel like when I'm there.

Food

Other than the Wave, I don't have specific plans for food. In general, though, I'm going to try not to eat too many lunches and dinners at my hotel. I did that too much during my last trip, and I got really bored with the food. If I have the chance, I'll check for same day ADRs whereever I'm going, otherwise it'll be quick service.

Next up: Day 3

 

[cheshirecollector]

Day 3

I don't have any ADRs or FastPass+ set up for this day yet.

Parks

I don't have any plans for this morning, so I may end up at Animal Kingdom or the Studios. I'm planning on spending the afternoon/evening in Epcot. I'll be focusing on World Showcase, trying to pay more attention to the Flower & Garden Festival than I did last year.

Food

Last year, I think the only thing I ate at World Showcase was a caramel from Germany. This year, I'm going to focus more on food. Hopefully I'll be able to try a little of everything: quick service, same-day table service, and food booths.

Next up: Day 4

 

[cheshirecollector]

Day 4

I have some detailed plans for the morning/afternoon on this day, but not the evening. I start with a pre-rope drop (unless they let us in early) ADR at the Garden Grill.

Parks

I'll be at Epcot again this morning, but focusing on Future World, with my three FastPass+ reservations: Living with the Land, Nemo, and Turtle Talk. Then I'll venture into World Showcase to finish up things I didn't do the previous day. As for the evening, I'm not sure where I'll be yet.

Food

After the Garden Grill breakfast ADR (a little before 9:00am), I'll most likely do some more snacking in World Showcase.

Next up: Days 5 and 6

 

[cheshirecollector]

Day 5

I currently have no plans for this final full day, except that I expect to be at the Magic Kingdom at some point. I'll probably do Epcot and the Magic Kingdom, my two favorite parks.

Day 6

Day 6 is my departure day, and I'm leaving early, so no time to go anywhere before I leave.

So now what?

So now, I'm looking for some suggestions on how to fill up all that empty space in my schedule. I'm looking into a possible dessert party at the Studios on one night, but it's not currently scheduled for May. Swimming and water park rides aren't an option for me, unfortunately. Any ideas?

 

[ariane37]

Hi there! I just looked over your schedule. I think you should definitely go check out AKL since you say you've wanted to do that; it's gorgeous. We'd been there a few times for ADR's and then DH and I finally stayed there for 3 nights this past January (in Jambo House). Since you have a lot of open time you can take your time looking around outside and enjoy looking at animals,but inside the lodge is beautiful, too! Do any of the restaurants there interest you? Boma is at Jambo and then there's Sanaa over at Kidani which is really good. There's a van that goes between the 2 so you can visit both and don't have to walk.

Also since you like Living with the Land, would you enjoy the Behind the Seeds tour they do? I can't remember the cost but I don't think it's very expensive. I'm just not sure about mobility..........

 

[cheshirecollector]

Hi there! I just looked over your schedule. I think you should definitely go check out AKL since you say you've wanted to do that; it's gorgeous. We'd been there a few times for ADR's and then DH and I finally stayed there for 3 nights this past January (in Jambo House). Since you have a lot of open time you can take your time looking around outside and enjoy looking at animals,but inside the lodge is beautiful, too! Do any of the restaurants there interest you? Boma is at Jambo and then there's Sanaa over at Kidani which is really good. There's a van that goes between the 2 so you can visit both and don't have to walk.

Also since you like Living with the Land, would you enjoy the Behind the Seeds tour they do? I can't remember the cost but I don't think it's very expensive. I'm just not sure about mobility..........

Thanks for checking out my schedule. Re: restaurants - I'm hoping for some same-day ADRs during this trip, as I see where I'm headed each day. Sanaa is on my wish list.

I've thought about Behind the Seeds, but like you mentioned, there's the question of being on my feet for a while. I'll have to see how I feel when I'm over there.

 

[cheshirecollector]

A one-post look at my schedule, to help me focus:

Edit 4/7/16: Major overhaul of the schedule due to buying an event ticket.


Thursday:

Morning - Flight

Afternoon - MK

Evening - MK

Friday:

Morning - The Wave, AK/AKL

Afternoon - AK/AKL

Evening - EP

Saturday:

Morning - EP

Afternoon - EP/HS

Evening - HS

Sunday:

Morning - Disney Springs

Afternoon - ?

Evening - MK

Monday:

Morning - ?

Afternoon - ?

Evening - ?

Tuesday:

Departure Day

 

[cheshirecollector]

Well, I had to rewrite the schedule in post #11, due to buying a Disney After Hours ticket. I wasn't going to buy one, but I realized that it was the best late night for me to go to the Magic Kingdom during my trip.

I cancelled the Garden Grill breakfast (I was having second thoughts about it), and updated my FastPass+ reservations for Thursday-Sunday.