Planning a Family Size Trip (My First PTR)

[caylene44]

Friday, August 30th: Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure

Now we get into the plans that are liable to change at any time and will almost certainly change during the course of the trip. As I've stated a few times now, I'm type A+ and super controlling. There's a few things I can still learn about not being a control freak:

For our first full day, we're going to the dark side. I might have mentioned it was my cousin's birthday request to do Universal Studios and everything HP. I purposely planned this on the front end because, in my prior experience, it's less magical to do Universal after a trip to Disney.

I want to leave the hotel at 8 am, which will require 2 Uber XL’s for our party size. Both parks open at 9 am but IOA has early morning entry for hotel guests so we will be starting with US. I plan on beelining for Escape from Gringotts. Not sure if there's still a mad rush on this one like there was on my last trip in 2015. Afterwards, we will explore Diagon Alley at our leisure and then take the Hogwarts Express over to IOA. I’m doubtful that Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure will have SR at this point (and even if it does, I doubt the wait will be reasonable). But, let’s say I’m wrong, we will get into line for this.

If it is long, we’ll skip and walk through Forbidden Journey. We won’t be riding FJ because I still have some trauma after riding this the first (and only) time.

We’ll explore Hogsmeade and then go into IOA. My ride goals are:

• Jurassic Park
• King Kong
• Ripsaw Falls
• Spider Man (SR)
• The Hulk (SR)
• Dr. Doom’s Fear Fall (SR)

However, I think the only real must do of these is Ripsaw Falls but it would be good to get Jurassic Park and The Hulk in. I could take or leave the others.

Planning on lunch at Margaritaville in City Walk as it is my cousin's request but it depends what time we get done with the above. After, we will walk back over to US.

My ride goals for US are:

• Despicable Me
• Shrek
• Jimmy Fallon
• Fast & Furious
• Simpsons
• ET
• Rip Ride Rockit (SR)
• Revenge of the Mummy (SR)
• Transformers (SR)
• Men in Black (SR)

The only must do from this group is Revenge of the Mummy, the rest are just “nice to have” so no worries if it’s crowded and we do none of the others.

We have a dinner reservation at Lombard’s at 6 pm. Depending on how much time we have afterwards, we will squeeze in any other rides with short waits/anything missed that someone decides is a must do for them. The parks close at 9 pm and we will Uber back to CBR. I'm not even sure if Universal has any noteworthy shows, parades, fireworks, etc.? I didn't make a point to see any on my last trip.

Someone let me know if there's something I'm missing that's a can't miss!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Interesting, definitely not well advertised.

Not advertised at all. I'd guess if you asked a phone CM, you'd be told no, too. I think it's more of a glitch they haven't bothered fixing than an intended function. It does allow you to get back to back tier 1s, as long as they're in different parks. Helpful for the HS to EP hop in particular.

 

[caylene44]

Saturday, August 31st: Animal Kingdom

Day 2 and the first Disney day!

If I haven’t mentioned this yet, my BF won’t be going to US/IOA with us. He’s on a quest to hit all 30 MLB stadiums before he turns 30 (3 years from now). Because of this, he’s renting a car and driving to a Tampa Bay game on the 30th. Bummer he will miss US/IOA because he’s never been but I’m happy he will be one more stadium closer to his goal.

We will have to leave the hotel around 5:30 am to return the rental car to the Car Care Center and have them drop us off at AK. I'm hoping that we will get to AK at a reasonable time to RD (park opens at 7 am for EMH this morning). I’m still debating whether to RD NRJ because I’ve never been on it. I’m just worried from some of the stories I’ve heard about RD at Pandora. Anyone have their own personal opinions/stories?

I do plan on using this time to hit EE and KRR as well as just wander around and shop if time allows. We have a 9:35 am FP for Kilimanjaro Safari. Depending on timing, I want to try to hit the Festival of the Lion King at 10 am. Afterwards, I plan to have Satu’li Canteen for lunch using mobile order. Once we eat, we’ll travel back to the hotel for pool and nap time.

I want to leave our hotel for Animal Kingdom around 2 pm and grab a drink at Nomad Lounge before our 4 pm Yak and Yeti reservation. Unfortunately, I could only get an early dinner ADR for our party size but we can always snack if we are feeling hungry later in the night.

The majority of the group has a 6:30 pm FP for Flight of Passage while 3 have a FP for NRJ. I want to wander around Pandora afterwards and hopefully the sun will start going down so we can get the nighttime experience before we get to our FP for Rivers of Light. The park officially closes at 8:30 pm so we’ll leave after RoL and try to get some rest for our EARLY morning the next day.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I'm hoping that we will get to AK at a reasonable time to RD (park opens at 7 am for EMH this morning). I’m still debating whether to RD NRJ because I’ve never been on it. I’m just worried from some of the stories I’ve heard about RD at Pandora. Anyone have their own personal opinions/stories?

If it were me I would rope drop FoP, you will want to ride it more than once, it is awesome. If you do rope drop FoP you need be there by 6:30 at the latest as that is when they start letting people in for the 7am open. Yes, that is what everybody else will be doing but Disney keeps it organized and you are funnelled into the line pretty much as soon as you get into Pandora and it moves quickly. Both times I have rope dropped FoP I have been on the ride within the first two show cycles. After FoP you can head to Navii which should still have a very minimal wait and then move on to other park attractions with still plenty of time before the park officially opens.

If you show up past 0645 I would forget FoP as by that point there will be hundreds of people in line ahead of you and focus on the other attractions that are open.

 

[caylene44]

If it were me I would rope drop FoP, you will want to ride it more than once, it is awesome. If you do rope drop FoP you need be there by 6:30 at the latest as that is when they start letting people in for the 7am open. Yes, that is what everybody else will be doing but Disney keeps it organized and you are funnelled into the line pretty much as soon as you get into Pandora and it moves quickly. Both times I have rope dropped FoP I have been on the ride within the first two show cycles. After FoP you can head to Navii which should still have a very minimal wait and then move on to other park attractions with still plenty of time before the park officially opens.

If you show up past 0645 I would forget FoP as by that point there will be hundreds of people in line ahead of you and focus on the other attractions that are open.

I've heard SO many good things about FoP so that's a really good plan! We're pretty savvy rope droppers so I'm not worried about us, just worried about the rest of the group (assuming they even wake up in time to meet us for the 7 am opening. I'm not 100% planning on them being up for RD).

Also, not totally sure how long it will take for the car rental place to drop us off. I plan on dropping the car off right when they open at 6 am so fingers crossed they will be able to get us from MK car care center to AK by 6:30.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Anyone have their own personal opinions/stories?

If you're running late, NRJ is a super easy RD. We got through security after the crowds had been walked back to Pandora, did NRJ with about a 10 minute wait, and were off just about at park open. They only open those two rides before the posted park opening time, so you can't even get Starbucks at that time. Even if you're only in the park 10 minutes before 7, you might as well do nrj as nothing else will be available.

 

[caylene44]

If you're running late, NRJ is a super easy RD. We got through security after the crowds had been walked back to Pandora, did NRJ with about a 10 minute wait, and were off just about at park open. They only open those two rides before the posted park opening time, so you can't even get Starbucks at that time. Even if you're only in the park 10 minutes before 7, you might as well do nrj as nothing else will be available.

Ah, that's good to know too! So definitely will do NRJ at RD unless we get there in time to do FoP as well. Thank you!!!

Also, hope your whirlwind trip went well

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Ah, that's good to know too! So definitely will do NRJ at RD unless we get there in time to do FoP as well. Thank you!!!

Also, hope your whirlwind trip went well

It was a blast! I came home and immediately napped for 4 hours though. I'm not as young as I pretend to be .

 

[caylene44]

It was a blast! I came home and immediately napped for 4 hours though. I'm not as young as I pretend to be .

Yay, I'm so glad! And psh, I think keeping up with triplet girls is going to keep you young for a long time (well, either that or prematurely age you )

 

[caylene44]

Sunday, September 1st: Hollywood Studios/EPCOT

I won’t lie, I’m scared for how this day will go considering it's the first EEMH for DHS after SW:GE opening. I want to leave our hotel at 4:30 am at the latest. My family thinks I'm insane but I'm worried that's not early enough They've all politely opted out of this day so it will just be my BF, my sister, and me. The park opens at 6 am. I’m still not sure if we will try to RD SW:GE for Millenium Falcon and exploration. We aren’t huge SW fans and I don’t want to be trampled so we might play this by ear after seeing how the days leading up to it go.

We definitely plan on hitting ToT and RnR (which, luckily, has SR) although I’ve heard ToT isn’t operating at full capacity lately so who knows how the lines will be. Fingers crossed we knock out SW:GE, ToT, and RnR in 3 hours. Am I crazy to have that expectation?

We have a 9:05 am FP for Star Tours and I booked a throwaway FP for Little Mermaid before @TheOneWithTheTriplets passed on the info we don't need to. We might just use this as nap time, to be honest
I want to do lunch at Woody’s Lunchbox using mobile order somewhere in here before our 11:05 FP for TSM. Then, we'll exit the park for pool and much needed nap time.

I don’t plan on leaving our hotel until around 3:30 pm to go to EPCOT. We will hit F&W booths, any rides with short waits, as well as do some shopping and exploring the pavilions. I have yet to really explore the EPCOT pavilions other than doing a cursory drive by. I honestly didn't even know they had rides or shows until recently (embarrassing). We have a 6:30 pm La Hacienda de San Angel reservation. I’m hoping to grab a FP for Illuminations since everyone else in our group will have one but we will see how that goes. Is it reasonable to expect to grab this FP day of? I’m not sure the FP demand for this, especially since it's getting towards the end of Illuminations' run. The park closes at 9 pm so we will mosey out afterwards.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Fingers crossed we knock out SW:GE, ToT, and RnR in 3 hours. Am I crazy to have that expectation?

It's so hard to know since this will be the first morning of EEMH. I think ToT with a moderate wait is going to be the hardest part, but hopefully it's doable. I would think it'll be at full capacity by then.

Is it reasonable to expect to grab this FP day of?

These are super easy to grab day of, particularly if you refresh one person at a time. That said, there are so many good spots around WS to see the show that it's probably unnecessary.

Don't forget, food and wine will have just started so the Sunday evening of labor day weekend is going to be very busy.

 

[caylene44]

It's so hard to know since this will be the first morning of EEMH. I think ToT with a moderate wait is going to be the hardest part, but hopefully it's doable. I would think it'll be at full capacity by then.

Right?! No idea how this day is going to go. It's not a huge deal if we miss ToT because we just did Mission Breakout at Disneyland and my BF is not too keen on the dropping. However, I seriously love and miss the original so fingers crossed it isn't too terrible of a wait. Also, if we do decided to skip all the SW:GE stuff, we'll definitely be able to hit this + RnRC right at RD.

These are super easy to grab day of, particularly if you refresh one person at a time. That said, there are so many good spots around WS to see the show that it's probably unnecessary.

Don't forget, food and wine will have just started so the Sunday evening of labor day weekend is going to be very busy.

Ah, perfect! I usually just grab a spot around WS but I picked the FP for everyone else (I figure they will really want to see it with a guaranteed "good" viewing location). If the three of us can't get one, I have no problems splitting up with the group.

Ugh, very true! We have the dedicated EPCOT day that Tuesday so there's nothing really pressing to get done this day but it is good to keep in mind.

Thanks for all your opinions and advice! It's nice (and appreciated) to get the feedback

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I want to leave our hotel at 4:30 am at the latest.

That is horrifying to me but you are probably right that it is necessary with SWGE.

We aren’t huge SW fans and I don’t want to be trampled so we might play this by ear after seeing how the days leading up to it go.

One would hope that Disney will have this rope drop crowd well under control.

 

[kclark9830]

Your plans sound great. So great that you were still able to get all your FP's!

 

[caylene44]

That is horrifying to me but you are probably right that it is necessary with SWGE.

Right?! Waking up that early on vacation should be criminal.

One would hope that Disney will have this rope drop crowd well under control.

Fingers crossed! So curious to see how it goes the first couple days.

Your plans sound great. So great that you were still able to get all your FP's!

Thank you! It's nice to have others sanity check/approve

 

[caylene44]

Some minor updates before I continue on my day-by-day breakdown:
Our package is paid off as of this morning! Always a good feeling (and it was due in 15 days anyways. Haha).

I thought I was set on my Halloween party costume but I just received it this weekend and was not a fan.

I ordered this Alice in Wonderland dress from Hot Topic:



It's decent quality (and has pockets!) but the fit wasn't great on me and it seemed a little too heavy for early September in Florida.

So, I ordered two Moana dresses. One from Hot Topic and one from Shop Disney:



These just seem far more breezy (and can easily be layered with a cardigan if needed) plus I already have Moana themed ears from Etsy. I'll let you guys know which one ends up being the winner (hoping I like the fit!)

Monday, September 2nd: Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

We get to sleep in this morning, leaving our hotel around 9 am to make our way to the Poly via MK. Our Kona Café reservation is at 10:30 am. If time allows, we can explore the Poly a bit before traveling back to our hotel to get ready for MNSSHP. As shown above, I’m not going all out on a costume. I expect I’ll just throw my dress on and maybe curl my hair (might be a waste with the humidity).

I want to leave CBR by 3 pm to head for Magic Kingdom. We will have to book it straight to 7 Dwarfs Mine Train before our FP window ends at 4:20 pm. Really hoping I’m allowing enough time for transportation + security + walking here, please let me know if not.

We have a 4:20 pm FP for Peter Pan. Luckily, arriving right before the Mine Train FP ends will mean we can just bop on over to fly with Peter. Afterwards, I want to grab dinner at Columbia Harbour House and maybe venture over for some Dole Whips. These are my MK must haves, I LOVE CHH and Dole Whip is always a must in Caylene's book.

We have a 5:20 pm FP for Space Mountain that apparently needs to be used by 6 pm according to MDE (assuming because of MNSSHP). After that, we will just wander around, shop as desired, and ride anything with a short line before the party officially starts at 7 pm.

There are no official entertainment times for the party yet so I’m still waiting to plan an itinerary for our party time. Definitely want to see the parade, fireworks, and the Hocus Pocus show if it’s coming back. Since it’s a party of adults, I don’t see us prioritizing character meets but who knows. I also don’t care about hitting any rides during the party but we will see what the group wants to do. I really want a Tangled lantern picture (I LOVE Tangled) so I’m hoping this is offered during the party. Anyone know if this has been the case in years past?

Also, hopefully I'm not annoying with the bold font, I just like to emphasize my questions in the hopes someone will help this poor, unfortunate soul out

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I'll let you guys know which one ends up being the winner (hoping I like the fit!)

Obviously, for us the primary concern. That said, all things equal, I like the second one better.

Really hoping I’m allowing enough time for transportation + security + walking here, please let me know if not.

I think you're fine. Plus, your FP will work for up to a 15 minute grace period. So, a fp that expires at 4:20 is really good until 4:35. Not that I would plan to use it during the grace, you want to head straight over, but even if you have bad bus luck you should make it.

 

[caylene44]

Obviously, for us the primary concern. That said, all things equal, I like the second one better.



I think you're fine. Plus, your FP will work for up to a 15 minute grace period. So, a fp that expires at 4:20 is really good until 4:35. Not that I would plan to use it during the grace, you want to head straight over, but even if you have bad bus luck you should make it.

I like the second one better as well! They were basically the same price too so it will really just come down to the fit

Ah, very true. Thanks for the reassurance! I always forget about the grace period at the end, I'm one of those people that hates feeling late so I'm usually using the 5 minutes early period

 

[caylene44]

More life updates...

About two months ago, we decided to sell our house for downsizing purposes. It was listed and under contract within 3 weeks of being on the market. So, now that the home inspection is cleared, we signed a lease for an apartment this past weekend and we move in 2 weeks. Oh, and we're out of town this weekend. And we're trying to sell off the furniture (and treadmill) that won't be able to fit in the new apartment. And we're just a little over a month away from this Disney trip. Stressed is an understatement at this point

Tuesday, September 3rd: EPCOT

"You strike me as a woman who has never been satisfied." Any Hamilton fans out there? Like I said in my first post of this series, I change my mind ALL. THE. TIME. about this trip. Per @Lifelong_Dreamer's suggestions, I decided to move around my FP choices for this day.

This is my sister’s actual 21st birthday so this day will be all about her. That doesn’t mean I won’t try to plan out this day for us

I would like to leave for EPCOT around 7:30 am but this might be a big ask on the day after MNSSHP. The park opens at 9 am and I would like to RD Soarin’ before our LwtL FP at 9:15 am. I moved Journey into Imagination to a 10:25 am FP. After we scan in to LwtL, I’ll probably move this one up so we can knock them both out in close proximity.

I want to try to ride Test Track via SR and then spend time wandering Future World, shopping, and/or hitting F&W booths. If we aren’t full from F&W booths, I want to try lunch at Sunshine Seasons. I plan to leave EPCOT around 12:30 pm for…you guessed it, pool and nap time.

I want to return in the later afternoon so we can wander around World Showcase and “drink around the world” for my sister’s birthday. She wants a drink from every country so my goal is to hit Mexico, Norway (timed with our moved 4:40 pm Frozen Ever After FP), China, Germany, Italy, and The American Adventure before our Teppan Edo reservation at 7 pm (where we will get a drink from Japan). This is very ambitious but I think we will all split drinks from each country so we are not super inebriated and also for the cost savings aspect.

After dinner, I would like to finish off the World Showcase with drinks in Morocco, France, UK, and Canada. Once again, we will most likely be sharing drinks. I’m hoping WS will hold to the 11 pm EMH. I know it usually closes earlier but there was nothing on the WDW site to suggest it’s closing earlier. Any insight?

Also, I thought I would get crafty (big deal for me because I'm the worst at crafting of any kind) so I designed these lanyard badges for us to check off countries as we "drink around the world." Still need to see how they print out but any design critiques are appreciated!

 

[missangelalexis]

I'm late to your PTR party but I'm here now!

Sounds like a good day planned at Universal!

How many stadiums has your BF done so far? That's a very cool goal to have!

RD at AK- I've done it twice, once for FoP and once for NRJ. If you get there early enough for FoP it's really not that bad. But if you plan to do NRJ you'll be fine!! Much easier and not as crazy.

I love the lanyard you made for your sister's birthday!