The Never Ending Pre-Trip Report: 3 WDW PTRs in One!

[bellebookworm9]

Hello, hello! I'm Gretchen, and 2014 is going to be my big year of Disney. I've already kicked it off with a trip in January for my brother's 19th birthday. But I've got three more WDW trips planned for this year, plus my first excursion out to Disneyland.

That's me and my "twinsie" PB. He is currently a cast member at Magic Kingdom, we met when we both worked at Epcot two years ago. He'll be staying with me for at least part of two of my three Florida trips, and is also going with me to DL.

And this is my Mom, Debbie.

She'll be accompanying me in December for our second holiday trip.

So when are these trips, why are they happening and where am I staying?

March 25-29, 2014: Staying at All Star Movies in a preferred room with PB. The American Academy of Audiology is hosting it's annual convention and this year it just happens to be in Orlando. Last year was Anaheim, but I unfortunately wasn't able to attend that one. So I figured I may as well squeeze in a trip to Disney since I'm gonna be in the area anyway! And my stay at ASMo will also mean I've stayed at all of the value resorts.
May 18-23, 2014: Staying at Paradise Pier Hotel in Disneyland. This has it's own PTR, which can be found in my signature. We've booked a concierge level room with a theme park view and we're super excited!
August 3-8, 2014: Staying at Port Orleans Riverside in a king bed room. I figured since it's just me, I may as well get an extra big bed! As much as I love hanging with my friends and family, I also enjoy going to the parks by myself and I think it's time for a "me" trip.
August 8-9, 2014: Staying at the Grand Floridian with PB. We decided we want to be fancy, so I'll spend my last night in August at the GFlo in a garden view room-outer building.
December 15-19, 2014 Staying at Port Orleans French Quarter with my mom in a garden view room. I stayed there for one night in May 2012 by myself and Mom really, really wants to stay there. It's such a pretty resort and she has a fascination with New Orleans. We went in December 2012 and enjoyed Christmas time but there are a bunch of things we'd like to experience again!

Some of these trips are further developed than others. March is pretty much ready to go, August only has a room and ADRs completed, and December only has the room booked. I'm getting a Premium Annual Pass hopefully next week and I plan to make good use of it!

 

[PH7]

Following along

 

[bellebookworm9]

Since my March trip is 10 days away, I guess I should give some info about that!

PB bought my premium annual pass voucher, but I can't link it to My Disney Experience. I even called the MDE tech support and they couldn't do it, so I have to wait until I exchange it for the actual pass. No setting up FP+ in advance for me.

I already said we're staying in a preferred room at All Star Movies. I called the other day, paid off our reservation, noted that we'd be celebrating our birthdays (mine is the following week-April 2nd-, and his was last week-March 7th), and requested a top floor room in the Fantasia section. I'm going to fax a more specific request in a few days.

I'm flying down on JetBlue, as are several of my classmates. They are staying near the Orange County Convention Center, which is smart, since that's where the conference is that we're attending. I called Magical Express yesterday because I still don't have my luggage tags, which is a little worrisome. Apparently they mailed them a month ago, so they're resending them, and I know my options if they don't arrive in time.

Our flight lands around 10:45am so I'm hoping to make it over to All Star Movies by noon. PB and I can get settled in, then we'll meet up with my friends/classmates over at Epcot. They are buying discounted conference passes good after 2pm. I don't know if I'll actually hang out with them too much, but we'll see.

After I exchange my AP voucher, my goal is to get a Soarin' FP+, we'll see how that goes. Of course, I want to explore the Flower and Garden Festival and eat at the Outdoor Kitchen booths. Some of my favorite items from last year have returned, like the Frozen Desert Violet Lemonade at the Pineapple Promenade. On Tuesday, I plan to eat around the left side of World Showcase Lagoon, from the Urban Farm Eats back to the American Smokehouse booth.

PB and I have reservations at Hoop dee Doo for the first time at 8:30pm, so we'll take the bus from Epcot to Fort Wilderness. We're in category 2 (category 1 was sold out) and we are very excited to experience the show. PB is also very much looking forward to the unlimited beer, wine and sangria.

After the show, I know some buses go straight from the Fort to various hotels. If that's not the case for All Star Movies, we'll boat over to MK and take the bus from there.

Wednesday is the day the AudiologyNow! conference starts. I plan to have breakfast at the ASMo food court then take the bus to DTD and transfer to the Lynx bus. My first session that I want to attend starts at 1, but I have to get over there a little earlier to pick up my gift bag and whatnot. Then I'll be attending sessions on sports related concussions and their affect on balance, working with teens in the clinical setting, and hearing aids.

My last session ends at 4:45, then it's back to ASMo to get ready for dinner. PB and I have a 7:35pm reservation at Narcoossee's, which I'm pretty excited about. After dinner, I'll hop over to MK to catch Celebrate the Magic and Wishes, and maybe get on a ride or two.

Thursday is going to be a long, busy day. Breakfast will once again be at ASMo, then my first session at the conference begins at 11am. Today's sessions include several on pediatric testing and special populations, new hearing aids, audiology credentials, and middle ear implants. Last session ends at 5, then I'll head to Hollywood Studios. Hoping to snag a ride on Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and maybe Tower of Terror, then grab a counter service meal and take it into the 10pm Fantasmic show!

Friday I have a breakfast reservation at Captain's Grille at the Yacht Club, then it's back over to the conference center from 12-5:30. Today's seminars include managing student loans worried, finding jobs after graduation, pediatric balance testing, and newborn hearing screenings. After the conference, I'll be heading to Epcot. I want to ride Test Track (single rider) and get a FP+ for IllumiNations. I'll get some dinner at the French Bakery and finish eating my way around the food booths (Hanami to Pineapple Promenade). Epcot has Extra Magic Hours that night so it shouldn't be too hard to accomplish those few things.

Saturday is MY day to do whatever the heck I want. I have a breakfast reservation at Tusker House at 8:10am. That's the only character breakfast (besides Cinderella's Castle) that I haven't been to and I'm excited. Then I'll spend some time at AK doing my favorites (Everest, the Safari, maybe meet a couple characters). We skipped AK in January because our flight down got canceled and we had to rearrange things so I'm making sure to spend some time there this trip, even if it's only a couple hours.

When I'm done there, I'm popping over to Typhoon Lagoon, which I haven't been to in far too long! I didn't buy a Premium AP for nothing! After I've surfed the waves and done some slides, it's off to Magic Kingdom because I NEED to see Festival of Fantasy. I'll spend a bit more time at MK and do some more rides, before heading back to ASMo to catch Magical Express. I'm assuming I'll be picked up around 6:30. My Southwest flights leaves at 9:30pm, arriving back in Buffalo at 12:05am. Two of my friends are on this flight as well so hopefully we can all sit together!

 

[bellebookworm9]

So my March trip has obviously come and gone and now it's time to start seriously planning for August and coming up with some general ideas for December.

Today I went through and completely redid my August itinerary and changed my ADRs, so the plan looks like this now.
Sunday August 3rd: Land in Orlando, check in at Riverside, lunch at the hotel. Head to MK to see Festival of Fantasy, return to Riverside for dinner at Boatwright's (5pm), back to MK for Wishes.
Monday August 4th: Morning EMH at AK, take a break at 10:10am for breakfast at Tusker House. Leave AK around 1pm, take a long rest at the hotel. Head to DHS in the evening and see Fantasmic at 9pm, then stay for Evening EMH until 10:30.
Tuesday August 5th: Morning EMH at Epcot, lunch at Coral Reef at 11:50am. Leave Epcot around 2pm, take bus to Blizzard Beach and stay probably until 6-7pm. Hang around hotel in the evening, maybe watch the "Movie Under the Stars".
Wednesday August 6th: Morning at MK, be there for rope drop at 9am. It's been almost four years since I've seen the Welcome Show and that needs to change! Stay for another showing of FoF, then head back to the hotel. Go to DTD in the evening, dinner at House of Blues at 8pm.
Thursday August 7th: Breakfast at Kouzzina at 8:35am, then Typhoon Lagoon in the morning until about 2pm. Break at the hotel, then back to Epcot for evening fun and IllumiNations.
Friday August 8th: Check out of PORS, then make it to Hollywood Studios at 9am for rope drop. Lunch at Sci-Fi at 12:35pm. Leave park around 3pm and head over to the Grand Floridian to check in. Dinner at Chef Mickey's at 6pm (PB's request). Maybe back to MK for a few hours?
Saturday August 9th: Breakfast at Grand Flo Cafe at 9:15am. Downtown Disney for a bit then over to TL for a couple more hours. Back to Grand Flo in late afternoon to catch Magical Express back to MCO.

Most of those restaurants are new for me, except Sci-Fi and Chef Mickey's (which I've only eaten at for breakfast). I'm working on Touring Plans to figure out FP+ and whatnot. Airfare for August is ridiculous right now, so I'm hoping it will come down some in the next couple of months. Best price scenario is Southwest at $323 round trip, but that means getting there super late on Sunday night and leaving crazy early Saturday morning. My preferred time situation (arriving early Sunday, leaving late Saturday) is $440 on Southwest.

For December, plans are a little more vague but we've been tossing around ideas. We know we want to do MVMCP again, since we missed the parade last time and got separated for the fireworks. It was just a hot mess. Candlelight Processional and Osborne Lights are definite musts as well. We've also decided to do a wagon ride at Ft. Wilderness-the cheap one that's like $8/person. Mom thinks it'll be fun to do a big wagon ride with strangers. Hoop dee Doo is also a definite because PB and I loved it last month. We're also tossing around the idea of Cirque du Soleil. We've never seen it and PB gets a pretty good discount (I think like 30%, sometimes more). Lastly, Mom and I also want to try the Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian. These are all new and different things for us! As far as dining, we're thinking Biergarten CP package for lunch and also a night at Flying Fish. The good news for December is that airfare is a bit more reasonable. JetBlue has roundtrip for $474 TOTAL for both of us. Flight times are reasonable if not preferable, though there is a layover at JFK on the way back. We'll have to see what Southwest has to offer, though I know we both prefer JetBlue.

 

[bellebookworm9]

We booked our flights for December today. JetBlue had an excellent rate of $109/person on a non-stop down to Orlando, so we will be leaving Buffalo at 11:19am on the 15th and arriving at 2:02pm. Coming back, we chose a flight with a layover in JFK, so we'll be leaving at 6:30pm on the 19th and eventually getting back home shortly after midnight. So we have our flights, rental car, and room booked. Still have to reserve a scooter. Next week (I think) is when I can start making ADRs and a plan. Then I'll also be able to choose which night we do MVMCP and buy tickets for that.

I have done a total overhaul of my August trip. The flights for the 3rd-9th were outrageous, and I decided I'd rather have a whole weekend off rather than a Sunday and the following Saturday. My new dates are the 13th-19th. Unfortunately, Riverside only has royal rooms available with the CM discount, and I don't want one of those. So I switched to Caribbean Beach and I'm looking forward to giving that a try, though I'm still going to keep watching to see if Riverside opens up more rooms.

I booked my flights today and even though they were slightly cheaper, they still cost me almost $500. That's only $25 less than roundtrip for BOTH of us in December! I'm flying a nonstop down on the morning of the 13th on Jetblue, arriving in Orlando at 10:39am. Leaving on the 19th, I'll be departing at 6:12pm, go to JFK for 40 minutes, and arrive home exactly five hours after I leave Florida.

I also decided to rent a car. Being at Disneyland spoiled me against having to take buses, as did having a rental car on 2 out of my last 3 WDW trips. I used the buses while I was at All Star Movies in March and it was frustrating at times, plus we were the last of three stops. I can't even imagine SEVEN stops at CBR. There was a great deal through AAA where for whatever reason, a mid-size car was cheaper than an economy, so I booked that for $212 including tax. Not too bad. Of course, it'll be closer to $400 once they add in the dumb underage driver fees, but I think it will be worth it.

All of my ADRs have been rebooked or changed, and I'll update that info here next week or so when I have my FP+ booked for sure.

 

[ArielLunchBox]

That's awesome that you guys were once CMs and your PB still is! Also, I've never rented a car while down there but I can see it providing a lot of flexibility outside of the buses!

 

[bellebookworm9]

That's awesome that you guys were once CMs and your PB still is! Also, I've never rented a car while down there but I can see it providing a lot of flexibility outside of the buses!

I see you're moving back to Florida, congratulations! I'm hoping to do my final year of grad school in the Orlando area, already looking for internships at local audiology practices. Maybe I'll be able to be re-hired seasonally at WDW.

I used to be a gung ho Disney transportation person. But last summer, I traveled with two friends and we rented a car because a)we went to Universal and b)one of those friends has serious anxiety in crowds so I figured she wouldn't do well on the buses. Best decision I ever made! Then in January, we traveled with my brother, who has special needs, and my mom, who uses a scooter at WDW. Both of those were good reasons to rent a car again and it made things so much easier for us. While I don't always mind using the Disney transportation, I know I'm going to be traveling to other resorts for meals and visiting the water parks a few times, which equals a LOT of time spent in transit without a car.

 

[bellebookworm9]

I purchased our MVMCP tickets for Thursday, December 18th. Going off of Touring Plans predicted hours, we've come up with the following plan.

Monday: Arrive in Orlando at 2:02pm. Pick up rental car and head to POFQ. I just ordered Mom's scooter from Walker Mobility so we should be able to meet up with them. We'll have time to get settled before heading over to Ft. Wilderness. We plan to do the group hay ride that departs at 6pm. Thay lasts about 45 minutes. Then we'll just explore, looking at the Christmas decorations and maybe check out the nightly sing along. We're going to do Hoop dee Doo at 8:30pm, then call it a night.

Tuesday: We'll do Hollywood Studios in the late morning through early afternoon. Plans for the afternoon include the Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian. Then we'll do our daily afternoon break before returning to the Studios in the evening for Osborne Lights; I'd like to be there when they flip the switch around 6pm. We're undecided about dinner for this evening, trying to decide between a nice dinner at Flying Fish or a casual one at Boatwright's, probably around 7:30.

Wednesday: We'll be at Epcot for rope drop at 9am. Do Soarin', Mission Space, and Test Track. I want to see a bunch of the Storytellers in World Showcase since we missed all of them in 2012. I'm hoping to get a Candlelight Processional package at Biergarten around 12:30, so we can see the 5pm show. We'll take an afternoon break before returning for the CP, see more storytellers, and watch IllumiNations.

Thursday: We're going to take it slow today. No concrete plans until the evening. Since we can enter MK at 4pm with our MVMCP tickets, we'll try and grab a dinner ADR at BOG. We have a plan this year, unlike last time! Castle Lighting at 6:15, Tomorrowland Christmas Show at 7:45, Celebrate the Magic at 9:15, Holiday Wishes at 9:30, Celebrate the Season show at 10:05, and then the parade at 10:30ish from the handicapped area in Liberty Square. During our down times, I think we'll try and meet some characters (Mickey, Minnie, Mary Poppins, Daisy, Donald, Scrooge, Aladdin, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh) and stop in at the dance parties.

Last time we had no plan, we got separated for the fireworks so I watched them from Liberty Square, and missed the parade and shows altogether. Not making the mistake again!

Friday: Breakfast around 9:30 at Olivia's over at Old Key West, before heading to MK around 11am. We definitely wanna do out old favorites: BTMRR and Buzz, and also the Dwarfs Mine Train. I was hoping to catch Festival of Fantasy but I just don't think that's gonna work out. Then we'll head back to the hotel to drop off the scooter, then head to the airport to drop off the rental car around 4:30 before our flight takes off at 6:30.

This plan will let me buy Mom a 3 day base ticket, which PB can get for about $260 with his CM discount.

 

[bellebookworm9]

OK, I booked all my FPs last night so here's my updated schedule!

8/13: Lunch at Typhoon Lagoon, spend a few hours in the water park. Head to DHS around 6pm. Dinner at Sci-Fi at 8:20. FP+ for Rock n Roller Coaster (6:25), Tower of Terror (7:25), Voyage of the Little Mermaid (9:20). See Fantasmic at 10:30.

8/14: Got the elusive Anna & Elsa FP for 9:20am, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (10:25am), and Haunted Mansion at 11:25. Lunch at BOG. Afternoon break, then Blizzard Beach in the late afternoon, early evening. Boma dinner 7:45pm.

8/15: Morning at DHS, with FP+ for Toy Story Mania (9:15am), Indy Show (12pm), and Lights, Motors, Action at 1pm. Break, then Epcot in the evening with Garden Grill at 5:25pm and IllumiNations at 9pm.

8/16: Tusker House breakfast 8:10am before park opening. Kali River Rapids (9am), FOTLK (10:30am), Kilimanjaro Safaris (12:15pm). Lunch at Flame Tree BBQ. Evening at Epcot, dinner at Cantina de San Angel.

8/17: Morning at Epcot, Soarin' 9:25, Character Spot 10:30, Mission: Space 11:30. I'll use the singles line at Test Track/head there right after rope drop. MK for Festival of Fantasy, then 1900 Park Fare dinner 4:55pm. Break in the evening, return to MK around 8:30 for Wishes and Celebrate the Magic and stay for EMH.

8/18: Kouzzina breakfast 9:40am before going to MK at 11am. Splash Mountain at 10:35, Big Thunder 11:35, and FoF at 2:45. Check into the G Flo in the afternoon, Chef Mickey's dinner 9:00pm.

8/19: Grand Floridian Cafe breakfast 8:30am, morning at Typhoon Lagoon, then early afternoon at DTD before heading back to the airport

I've decided to get the dining plan. It's not as cheap as I'd like, but for my stay at CBR it's $48.99/night with a discount. That's still a better deal than OOP or even investing in Tables in Wonderland.

 

[bellebookworm9]

So first of all, I have to say I'm super excited about this Frozen Live stuff that's coming to DHS! I've worked almost all of the events into my plans for DHS. The fireworks should be especially awesome! And if the Sing Along is anything like the little shows at The Royal Theatre in Disneyland, they should be super cute an funny as well!

I've made most of our ADRs for December, with the exception of the Candlelight Processional package, since that's not available yet. But here's our general plans so far:

12/15: Arrive in Orlando at 2:02pm, pick up car, drive to POFQ. Boatwright's ADR at 5:20pm (maybe we'll give the Jambalaya a try!). Head over to Ft. Wilderness for the campfire/sing along, then do the hay ride at 8:30pm. That's the big group hayride for $8/person, not the "rent a carriage or sleigh for only your party".

12/16: Sleep in and lazy morning! Garden View Tea at the Grand Floridian at 2:05pm, then head to DHS for a few rides and the Osborne Lights. I want to see them flip the switch this year! Back to Ft. Wilderness again for the 8:30pm Hoop dee Doo. We decided to go with Category 1 and since I booked on the very first possible day, I'm hoping we'll be super close to the stage! PB is going by this week to get his 50% discount applied.

12/17: Epcot today. We'll hit up Test Track and Soarin' in the AM before heading back to World Showcase. In 2012 we didn't see ANY of the holiday storytellers, so I'm hoping to catch as many as possible this time around! We were originally thinking of the CP lunch at Biergarten, but the menu wasn't doing much for us, so now we'll be dining at Via Napoli-I'm checking every day to see if those ADRs are open yet! We'll take an afternoon break before the show at 5pm, then stay through IllumiNations at 9:30. I really want to see Yee Haw Bob at Riverside, and even though it'll be late, this is really our only night to do so.

12/18: Lazy morning again. Maybe do some resort hopping and Downtown Disney. We're doing a late lunch (3:45pm) at Olivia's over at Old Key West, since Mom really wants to visit that resort. After that, we have MVMCP from 7-12.

12/19: Last day. We have our traditional Crystal Palace ADR at 9:55am, then we'll spend some time at MK. I know Mom wants to ride the Seven Dwarfs coaster. Was hoping we could catch Festival of Fantasy but I don't think that's going to happen. Our flight is at 6:30, so we need to be back at the airport by 4:30 at the latest, plus we have to stop back at POFQ to drop off the scooter.

Kind of a whirlwind trip but we'll make the most of it!

 

[bellebookworm9]

I decided to add the Frozen Premium Package, meaning everything else was rearranged. So, here's what I really, really hope are my final plans.

August 13th
-Depart Buffalo via JetBlue at 8:05am
-Arrive in Orlando at 10:39am
-Pick up Compact rental car from Budget. I found an amazing deal through them today where the pre-pay rate was $315 total, including underage fees. That's the absolute cheapest I've seen, so that's now paid in full. I'm expecting a Ford Focus or similar. Planning to sign up for Rapid Rez & Fastbreak as well, to speed things up at check in.
-Check into Caribbean Beach. King bed room (requesting Jamaica, water view, but sending a more detailed fax ahead of time). Right now my first four nights are 50% off but my last night is rack rate, hoping to get that adjusted when the late summer discounts come out. Regular dining plan for five nights at $48.99/night. It used to be a room only discount + dining plan, but now they've made it into a package, complete with balance due 45 days prior to check in, so this is paid in full as well.
-Head to Epcot by 4pm. ADR at Garden Grill, 4:20pm. See a few of the live acts around World Showcase before using my IllumiNations FP+.

August 14th
-ADR at Kouzzina, 7:30am (OOP, 10% AP discount)
-Epcot: Future World West & Live Acts at World Showcase [9am-3pm](FP+: Soarin' 9am; Turtle Talk with Crush 10am; Captain EO 11:20am)
-Lunch at Boulangerie Patisserie (DDP)
-Blizzard Beach [4-7pm]
-ADR at Boma, 7:45pm (DDP)

August 15th
-ADR at Tusker House, 8:00am (DDP)
-Animal Kingdom [8am-1pm]
-Lunch at Flame Tree BBQ (DDP)
-Magic Kingdom: Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square [2:30-7pm] Festival of Fantasy (FP+: Haunted Mansion 3:45pm; Splash Mountain 4:55pm; Big Thunder Mountain 5:55pm)
-Dinner at Old Port Royale (DDP)

August 16th
-Breakfast at Old Port Royale (OOP)
-Typhoon Lagoon [9am-12:30pm]
-Lunch at Leaning Palms (OOP)
-ADR at 1900 Park Fare, 4:45pm (DDP)
-Magic Kingdom: Fantasyland [6:15-10:30pm] (FP+: Meet Anna & Elsa 6:20pm; Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 7:40pm; Meet Cinderella & Rapunzel 8:50pm) Celebrate the Magic, Wishes

August 17th
-Breakfast at Old Port Royale (OOP)
-Hollywood Studios [9am-10:30pm] (FP+: Tower of Terror 9:10am; Toy Story Mania 12:50pm; Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular 4:45-5:05pm) Fantasmic!
-Frozen Premium Package! (Pre-paid) [Royal Welcome 11am; Sing Along 2:30pm; Dessert Party 8pm; Firework 9:15pm]
-ADR at Sci-Fi Dine In, 11:35am (DDP)
-Dinner at Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner (OOP)

August 18th
-Breakfast at Old Port Royale (OOP)
-Check out of Caribbean Beach
-Have PB check into Grand Floridian, Garden View Room-Outer Building. Requesting Boca Chica or Big Pine Key, sending a fax requesting a pool view room in those two buildings, or any room in Conch Key. Paid in full, no dining plan in order to save us from the package nonsense. 50% off right now, waiting for 60% to be released.
-Magic Kingdom: Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Main Street [9am-1:30pm]
-Lunch at Be Our Guest (DDP, waiting for FP to be released!)
-Epcot: Future World East & World Showcase [2:30-6pm] (FP+: Test Track 4:25pm)
-ADR at Chef Mickey's, 9:00pm (OOP, 30% coupon)


August 19th
-ADR at Grand Floridian Cafe, 9:00am (OOP, 20% CM discount w/ PB)
-Typhoon Lagoon [10:30am-1pm]
-Downtown Disney [1:30-3:30pm]
-Lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express (OOP)
-Return rental car by 4pm
-Depart Orlando via JetBlue at 6:12pm
-Arrive JFK at 9:00pm, Depart JFK at 9:40pm
-Arrive Buffalo at 11:12pm

We’ve officially booked the Candlelight Processional lunch package at Via Napoli for 12:45pm on December 17th. Our narrator is going to be Sharon Stone. IllumiNations viewing is not included this year, but we didn’t use it last time anyway. Additionally, since Mom uses a scooter, we can use the handicapped area, which is right next to the FP+ area.

I also found an even better rate from Dollar. Lock Low ‘n Go, compact or larger car (their choice) for $128 total using a AAA code.

 

[bellebookworm9]

Yoo hoo! Is anyone still reading this? Obviously, my August trip has come and gone, my December trip is coming up soon, and I've planned one last trip on my AP for next March! So for now, here's the update of our December plans.

Monday, December 15th
-Depart Buffalo at 11:20am; Arrive in Orlando at 1:58pm
-Pick up rental car from Dollar (Lock Low n Go Price: $93.90 )
-Arrive at Port Orleans French Quarter
-Scooter to be delivered from Walker Mobility between 3-4pm
-Dinner at Boatwright's 5:20pm
-Hay Ride at Ft. Wilderness 8:30pm ($8/person)

Tuesday, December 16th
-Breakfast at Olivia's Cafe 9:30am
-Magic Kingdom until about 4:30pm
-Hollywood Studios to see Osborne Lights until 7pm
-Hoop dee Doo Review at 8:30pm, Category 1, with PB

Wednesday, December 17th
-Epcot!
-Lunch at Via Napoli 11:30am
-Afternoon rest
-Candlelight Processional 8:15pm (Standby line)
-IllumiNations 9:30pm

Thursday, December 18th
-Downtown Disney?
-Resorts Tour?
-Lunch at Kona Cafe 2:30pm
-Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!

Friday, December 19th
-Epcot until 2:30pm
-Scooter to be picked up between 3-4pm
-Rental car returned by 4:30pm
-Depart Orlando at 6:37pm; Arrive at JFK at 9:12pm
-Depart JFK at 10:59pm; Arrive Buffalo 12:22am on 12/20

General Details
-$500 gift card for food/souvenirs has been purchased
-Booked PB a room at POFQ for 16th-17th so he can take advantage of the all you can drink sangria at HDD
-Ordered matching T-shirts for MVMCP
-MVMCP tickets purchased
-Mom will use two of my 1 day e-tickets from when I was a CM, plus I bought her a 1 day ticket for Epcot
-MagicBands customized (red for me, green for mom)

I'll provide more details next time!

 

[bellebookworm9]

As previously noted, we will have two days at Magic Kingdom, but one of those is just for MVMCP. So here we go, with our plans!

Tuesday, December 16th
-Arrive at front gates around 9:30am
-Crystal Palace ADR at 9:45am
-Meet "talking" Mickey, hopefully he's talking this time since he wasn't in August!
-Buzz Lightyear FP+ (11:15-12:15)
-Carousel of Progress (it's been 4+ years since we last did this!)
-Monsters Inc Laugh Floor (and 2+ years since this!)
-Pirates of the Caribbean FP+ (12:15-1:15)
-Big Thunder Mountain FP+ (1:20-2:20)
-Lunch at Columbia Harbour House
-Festival of Fantasy from Liberty Square handicapped area
-Splash Mountain (only if it's warm enough)

Thursday, December 18th
-Arrive at front gates shortly before 4pm
-Seven Dwarfs Mine Train FP+ (3:30-4:30)
-Enchanted Tales with Belle FP+ (4:30-5:30, we've never done this)
-Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
-"Jingle" Cruise FP+ (4:30-5:30)
-Line up for Seven Dwarfs until they appear at ~6:50pm. This should save us time during the actual party!
-Meet Snow White, Aurora & Princes
-Meet Pooh & Friends (7:30-8:00 is their first set)
-Frozen Holiday Wish @ 8pm
-Holiday Hootenanny Dance Party
-Meet Jasmine/Genie (8:30-9) and/or Aladdin & Abu (9-9:30)
-Celebrate the Magic @ 9:15pm
-Holiday Wishes @ 9:30pm
-Celebrate the Season show @ 10:05pm
-Once Upon a Christmastime Parade @ 10:30pm
-Meet Daisy Donald & Scrooge (Available until 11:30)
-Meet Minnie (Available until 11:30)
-Meet Santa Goofy (available until 11:20), but we will try to meet him at the Studios before the party
-Cinderella, Rapunzel & Princes (if there's time)
-A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas Show @ 11:45pm

Whew!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Tuesday, December 16th
Our DHS plan is pretty simple. If we can get to DHS by 5:30, I'll run back to the Animation building to check out the line for Hiro and Baymax, and join it if it's really short. We'd like to be over to the Osborne Lights by 5:55 or so to see them turned on. Santa Goofy meets from 6:30-8:00 back by the lights, so I'll try to find and meet him as well. We'll leave by 7:30 to make it over to Ft. Wilderness for our 8:30 Hoop Dee Doo.

Wednesday, December 17th
-Arrive at Epcot before 9am
-Spaceship Earth
-Test Track FP+ (9-10am)
-Mission: Space Green
-Seas Aquarium
-Soarin' FP+ (10:10-11:10am) [When I was making my FP+, there was a glitch and it was only allowing me to make Tier 1 choices!]

Then we are mainly going to focus on Storytellers!
-Kwanzaa @ American Adventure (11:15am)
-Lunch ADR at Via Napoli (11:30am)
-La Befana @ Italy (12:50pm)
-Hanukkah @ American Adventure (1:15pm)
-Afternoon Break
-Monkey King @ China (4:50pm)
-Julenissen & Sigrid @ Norway (5:10pm)
-Tres Reyes @ Mexico (5:40pm)
-Taarji @ Morocco (6:20pm)
-Father Christmas @ UK (6:45pm)

We will then stop at Liberty Inn and grab something quick to go, then get in the stand-by line for the 8:15 Candlelight Processional. The narrator is Chita Rivera, and Mom said she can take or leave that choice. So if we don't make it in, that's okay, we'll just listen from back by the Pavilion. Then, of course, IllumiNations at 9:30, which we will watch from the handicapped viewing area up in World Showcase Plaza.

After that we'll head back to the resort, and if we're awake enough, try to catch the 10:30 Yeehaa Bob show at Riverside!

Friday, December 19th
-Soarin' FP+ (11:10am-12:10pm)
-Pere Noel @ France (11:55am)
-Daruma Vendor @ Japan (12:10pm)
-Canadian Voyagers @ Canada (obviously, 12:40pm)
-Joyful Gospel Celebration in Future World (1:15pm)
-Helga @ Germany (2:00pm)

Then back to POFQ for lunch and scooter pick-up, before heading back to the airport.