September 2011 - The Planning Continues! (2nd Thread)

[basketkat]

I've been MIA for a week...it was my daughter's 2nd birthday and my brother was here from Texas so there was no time for DISing. I had 9 pages to catch up on!!!

Happy Birthday to all those that I missed...

Love seeing everyone's tickers getting so close!

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

I've been MIA for a week...it was my daughter's 2nd birthday and my brother was here from Texas so there was no time for DISing. I had 9 pages to catch up on!!!

Happy Birthday to all those that I missed...

Love seeing everyone's tickers getting so close!

Happy birthday to your two year old! I love that age!

 

[KELLY]

If it were me, especially traveling with small children...I would stay the extra night. Whether you arrive after midnight or Mon. afternoon, Monday is shot. Everyone will be well rested and make better travelers if you can have a relaxing (well, maybe) breakfast and then head to the airport. Also have you figured in that the extra night will give you another days worth of FQSDP that you can spread out over your trip? Plus, you can use the whole day Sunday enjoying the parks without the "I gotta go pack - we leave today" hanging over your head.

I second this! Since having DS we no longer take early morning flights anywhere, instead we leave after DH gets off of work the night before our planned trip. DS travels so much better when he is rested and not up earlier or later than his normal schedule. Besides, what is wrong with some extra WDW time??


I was looking at TP and I dont know what to do! Should I continue to plan our night at DHS during the EHM, which are till 12, or just go to DHS on a normal night when they are open till 9. We are planning another morning at DHS to guareentee that we get to ride TSM, but I dont know if heading to DHS at night is a waste and that I should just plan 2 mornings there. Suggestions??

I'm pretty sure I'm going to add the night. We were just going to eat lunch at pop on Sunday and then I wasn't sure what we were going to do. We don't really have time to do a park. Since we would have to be on the ME at 3pm. So It was really just a wasted day. I would rather be on the me at 7am Monday. Still early but better than hanging around Sunday and not do anything. Plus the extra QSDP will come in handy since I won't need to pay for a meal op now also. Monday we can just grab mcdonald's on the way home.

Now I just need to let Dh know. He won't care he would rather stay longer. So I'm sure he will be fine with it.


I'm a little confused on what are plan is going to be now also with HS. We were suppose to head to HS on Tuesday. We are on the QSDP so it isn't a huge deal for us to swich things up.

 

[peachydreamyxx]

So DS is watching The Lion King, I am trying to get him to watch anything other than Cars. We, no joke, watch it at least 4 times a day and I am talking from beginning to end. He is obsessed! Hopefully he enjoys this bc it is one of my childhood faves

I think I have our schedule of meals down FINALLY!

9/23 arrive, hang around resort, dtd
9/24 breakfast at crystal palace, dinner at chef mickeys.
9/25 breakfast at tusker house, dinner at ohanas
9/26 dinner at chefs d' france
9/27 hoping to grab a 430 at 1900 Park fare, than MNSSHP!!
9/28 lunch at Le Cellier, dinner at Tutto Italy
9/29 Lunch at T-Rex
9/30 Early dinner at Garden Grill, eat around F&W
10/1 dinner at CRT
10/2 breakfast at CBR than heading home

I am so excited for this! I would really love to grab a 9/27 1900 Park Fare or an early Chef Mickey for that night so that I can try Boma this trip. Otherwise, I have been able to change around everything I needed to make the 'perfect' schedule. Hoping for some Pixie Dust bc we didnt get to try Boma last year and swore we wouldnt miss it this year!

 

[janabananas]

So I am kinda of freaking out about the plan due to the recommendation on easywdw.com to avoid the park with EMH. I changed day for DHS due to morning EMH. That one makes sense.

However does evening EMH really make that much of a difference, going to EPCOT all the rides should have already been done? Just planning on eating dinner (already have ADR) and walking the WS after Illuminations. Or will that park be packed all day because of EMH? We are going on a crowd level of 2 and 3.

Dbf wants to do same parks the same day and not park hop. I don't really care, we are coming and going anyways so it shouldnt matter??

Thanks in advance for any advice!!
(Am I freaking out for nothing??)

 

[lovethattink]

So I am kinda of freaking out about the plan due to the recommendation on easywdw.com to avoid the park with EMH. I changed day for DHS due to morning EMH. That one makes sense.

However does evening EMH really make that much of a difference, going to EPCOT all the rides should have already been done? Just planning on eating dinner (already have ADR) and walking the WS after Illuminations. Or will that park be packed all day because of EMH? We are going on a crowd level of 2 and 3.

Dbf wants to do same parks the same day and not park hop. I don't really care, we are coming and going anyways so it shouldnt matter??

Thanks in advance for any advice!!
(Am I freaking out for nothing??)

If you are just going to eat and walk around, I think you will have a very pleasant evening! Soarin', Maelstrom and TT will attract people, especially right after illuminations. We rode TT during illuminations and it was only a 20 minute wait!

 

[peachydreamyxx]

So I am kinda of freaking out about the plan due to the recommendation on easywdw.com to avoid the park with EMH. I changed day for DHS due to morning EMH. That one makes sense.

However does evening EMH really make that much of a difference, going to EPCOT all the rides should have already been done? Just planning on eating dinner (already have ADR) and walking the WS after Illuminations. Or will that park be packed all day because of EMH? We are going on a crowd level of 2 and 3.

Dbf wants to do same parks the same day and not park hop. I don't really care, we are coming and going anyways so it shouldnt matter??

Thanks in advance for any advice!!
(Am I freaking out for nothing??)

Dont worry I am right behind you! The last two days I have been really worried about DHS and their evening EMH. TouringPLans had DHS at a 5 for the night we were planning on going, so I decided to switch to two mornings on days when it is a .5 and a 2. My main concern is for DS to ride TSM a few times, and for DH and I to ride the big kid rides since we missed out last year.

With Epcot however, I wouldnt worry about evening EHM if you are planning on walking around the world showcase. It wont be packed, as nothing really is packed in September, besides the TS restaurants! It honestly is the best time to visit, IMO

 

[janabananas]

If you are just going to eat and walk around, I think you will have a very pleasant evening! Soarin', Maelstrom and TT will attract people, especially right after illuminations. We rode TT during illuminations and it was only a 20 minute wait!

I am just gonna keep it the same, we are not that worried about getting on all the rides and since the crowds are historically low this time of year I will not fret!

What ever happened to just driving over and winging it. We did that as a kid. So much strategery involved.

 

[ShhhQ]

Wow!!! 100 pages already!!

 

[jemgumby]

 

[stitches of laughter]

I'm so sorry for your loss

You should definitely go! I'm sure your mom would want you to go and make new magical memories and remember the old ones I can't think of a better way to honor your ma and yourself

I hope you have a magical trip, you absolutely deserve it

You'll have a good time! I think it would be nice to go, have time to yourself to reflect, and just enjoy Disney! I would bring a journal, sit by the pool, and jot down things you remember about your mom and her legacy.

Plus, I'm sure you could find a meet-up around the time of your trip and meet some new DIS friends! (We'll be at the parks for one day of your trip, but we're still trying to firm up an itinerary for our party of 10!).

I am sorry for your loss... I can't say I know what you are going thru, but I can definately understand it... My Mom is my best friend and we always go on vacation together.. Go and enjoy yourself.. your Mother would want you to be happy!!

stitches--Hugs to you!!! Go! Have a great time and know that your mom is with you every step of the way!!! Even though life keeps moving, it's the memories that keep us going!



sillylille--we have almost always done park hoppers. We don't use them every day, but I like to have the "ability" to hop if we need a change of scenery. We also eat dinner at Epcot more than not at Epcot so we need hoppers to get to our dining plans.

We did go in Feb with base tickets and I didn't like it at all. We were only there for two days and we just did MK and Epcot. We got to the point at MK that we had done all we wanted to do and it was still only 4pm. So, instead of being able to go to a different park, we ended up going back to SSR and walking to DTD. I try to stay as far away from DTD as possible just because I don't like the crowds that always seem to be there and I'm not a huge shopper so this was not ideal for us...well, me.

I so agree with Robin, go have a great time...heck come with us...WE ARE FUN GANG!!!

I'm so sorry about your mom.

I would thoroughly enjoy a solo trip to WDW!!

I'm sure once you see that first Mickey sign that you are on property that blahness will turn into excitment!

Have you looked to see if their are any DIS meets during your stay?

Congrats on the 1 payment to go!

thank you all so much! I am still having a difficult time , I do it to myself. Today is actually my mom's 52nd birthday.
Would any of you be okay with a solo trip for seven days?

 

[sillylily]

Park hoppers are a personal choice.... some won't go without them, some think they are worthless. It truly depends on your style. Our 1st trip in 2007, we thought that it would be great to use the park hopper, especially since we only had 3 days to visit the parks. We chose to split up the 2 smallest parks, AK and MGM (was renamed DHS the following year). Ak had evening emh the day we visited so we went to MGM in the morning and then transfered to Ak around 1.... this didn't work anywhere near like we planned!!! At MGM, we rode a total of 4 rides and then found it was time to transfer, it took more time to transfer than we thought..... (Of course this is the time on the bus that I refer to in my siggy). By the time we got to AK, we realized we hadn't ate all day... so 1st stop was lunch.... OMG the restaurant was packed!!!! It took forever to get food, (we later learned the trick was to eat early lunch when the restaurants open) By the time we were done eating, it started raining cats and dogs... I mean it was a regular downpour!! I hate to admit it, but I started bawling like a little baby.... after the rough day we had, then for it to rain so hard we couldn't even leave the building (we both had scooters that we were afraid to drive in such heavy rain). By the time we got to actually enjoy the park, the day was almost over!!! I got to ride the Safari and do 1 jungle trek and then the day was over!!! The following 2 days we had full days in MK and Epcot, and we got to do all we wanted. We will never do park hoppers again, they just aren't for us!

Since you are staying there long enough to visit each park at least once, I would personally stay with the base tickets.

We generally do park hoppers because we take short vacations. However, last year, we chose not to do a park hopper and it was very freeing. Previously, we always felt obligated to jump around between parks to get our money's worth. But once we decided not to park-hop, it was nice to know we had an entire day devoted to a single park. It made the vacation more relaxing because we were able to stay at one park and just enjoy it.

The main reason we get hoppers is because it gives us more options for dining and gives us more options if it decides to pour buckets. If it's raining I think the best park to be in is DHS because nearly everything to do is inside a building. Also, if you plan to do EMH, it gives you more options as you can go to another park during the day and just go to the park with EMH during that time frame with a reduced crowd.

Thanks for all of the advice, everybody! I may stick with base for now, and just upgrade if I need them. We'll be there for nine days, so hopefully base tickets will be enough (and the weather will hold out!

okay, I have a problem with feeling like I "deserve" my disney trip. I am going Aug 31-Sept 6th.

I want to go to celebrate my ma, she passed away February 20th. I don't have anyone to go with at this time and I don't really want to wait, because if I wait for someone to go with me, I don't know when I will ever go to disney again.

I am into the dining, so I know I will fill my time with two meals a day *I have deluxe* including a signature for dinner. I also enjoy taking tons of pictures. I think I will be okay by myself, I go out all the time to eat and shop by myself. I just need a little encouragement to go and have a good time.

help!

You absolutely deserve your trip! Take it from a mother, your mother would want you to go and have a great time!

Wow!!! 100 pages already!!

I know, I'm laughing my bottom off at the fact that we are going to end up with a third thread before it's over! It's good to have a chatty group to wait with, though!

 

[sillylily]

The drive through the mountains is always my favorite part of our trip to the East coast!

We're really lucky to live at the halfway point between the mountains and the beach, four hours to one and three and a half to the other! We love to come through Sevierville in the fall, and hit the Parkway (before the weather turns, of course!) up toward Klingman's Dome. We always stay in the same cabins right outside of Pigeon Forge, super secluded but still close to town. TN is where we go to rest; I'm wondering if we'll find any of that at WDW? I'm determined to try to keep a leisurely pace while we're there, even though I really want to see everything. I would rather remember that i enjoyed our time as a family than see everything.

 

[stitches of laughter]

okay, so now that I am semi-certain of this trip i need some help!
i have my meals planned out for the most part. i have the deluxe plan

8.31 i arrive at MCO at 930
then I check in at POP then
off to MK!
lunch at Tony's
dinner at California Grill

9.1 MGM!
50s for lunch
Brown Derby for dinner

9.2 EPCOT!
---this is where I need help! I don't know which epcot restaurant to eat at for lunch. I was thinking Rose & Crown or Teppan Edo
Le Cellier for dinner

9.3 AK!
Yak and Yeti for lunch
Jiko for dinner

9.4 MK!
Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch
Artist Point for dinner

9.5 EPCOT!
Coral Reef for lunch
Yachtsman for dinner

9.6 MK!
i have no more meal credits, so I will probably eat at a qs spot

any suggestions?

 

[lovethattink]

thank you all so much! I am still having a difficult time , I do it to myself. Today is actually my mom's 52nd birthday.
Would any of you be okay with a solo trip for seven days?

I'd be perfectly fine on a solo trip! I'd actually love to go on a solo vacation!

 

[KELLY]

I need to catch up a bit on this thread. We did add that day today so our dates are now
8/27 to 9/5 back to 10 days again!

I did downgrade our ticket from a 8 day MYW base ticket to a
6 day MYW base when we took of the extra day when we moved our trip up. So now that there is no MNSSHP party. I was looking into universal. Wow!! Is all I can say. Or Yikes!! It has been 2 years I was just going to do Universal no IOA since the girls are still small. By the time we pay for transfers it is 100.00 for each of us. Plus If I spend that money I want to stay all day as long as possible. So I would end up buying meals. So I think we are going to skip this idea for now.

We still need to buy a TL ticket for my youngest. The rest of us have WP tickets left from some non-expire tickets we have. So I'm thinking of just adding the WP and more option it would be 250.00 more but we would get to do both WP this year again. Plus we wouldn't need to pay for food either! LOL

 

[sillylily]

I have just discovered that I can DIS from my desk at work! Is it sad that this makes me so very, very happy?

 

[stitches of laughter]

I have just discovered that I can DIS from my desk at work! Is it sad that this makes me so very, very happy?

I used to be able to do that at my old property, when I had my own desk. But now I can't because we are always watched. boo!

but no, that is not sad! it would make me very happy!

 

[sillylily]

I used to be able to do that at my old property, when I had my own desk. But now I can't because we are always watched. boo!

but no, that is not sad! it would make me very happy!

Our stuff is always monitored, but I generally refuse to type anything I wouldn't want Jesus or my boss seeing! All of the banners and ads are blocked, the threads are the only thing that I can see. I don't need the ads anyway.

 

[disneychic2]

I need another dining reservation and need your guys' help. It's on a day that we'll be in MK all day and we don't mind leaving the park. We're already doing Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace on different days. This will be for dinner and for 1 TS credit.

I'm having so much trouble with my computer, it's hard to read all the posts. But in case no one else suggested it, the Whispering Canyon Cafe is a TS restaurant at the Wilderness Lodge and is a lot of fun for the kids. The waiters are inter active with the diners and have special fun for the kids. The food is good too. The boat from MK is just a five minute ride to WL.