"The Trip Itself Is Only Half The Battle" - Prepping for October 2018

[B. Shoe]

Howdy, gang. It's been a while since we last chatted. But it's been an extremely busy summer for yours truly, and it's all paid off because...

OUR TRIP IS COMPLETELY PAID IN FULL!

Everything. Resort reservation, airfare, MNSSHP tickets...the whole nine yards is clean and clear. My biggest fear about taking on this trip was the possibility of taking on debt to make it work. But we are good to go, and I couldn't be more relieved. So, now what?

• Our FastPass+ window opens on Wednesday. I still need to speak to my travel agent about how all of that works, but she has been a fantastic resource, so I'm not concerned about anything.
• I've started to make our travel checklist of things to pack for the trip.
• We've briefly started to talk about what we'll wear at the MNSSHP. I'm planning on doing some "Disneybounding", so I can at least be part of the fun, without having to go all in.

It's all downhill from here, right?

 

[Ponderer]

Quite exciting to read about all your planning, especially as our trips directly overlap! My wife and I will be there from Oct. 22-30, if nothing goes sideways...

 

[sheri18]

jsut joining in...great PTR..hope it all goes as planned...I am planning for 11 so it makes it so much harder...

 

[B. Shoe]

We have booked FastPass reservations! Our window opened today, and I'm pretty happy with what we were able to grab...including a FoP FastPass (But we'll talk more about that in a minute.)

Our FP reservations are listed in bold. Some big decisions I have now, are this, in efforts to make things as smooth and less hectic as possible:

• We scored a FoP FastPass. However, that's the same day as our Halloween party, and our plan was to do nothing that day before the party. Is it still going to be worth traveling down to AK just for the one FP?
• Do we have enough time between everything that's currently scheduled?

Items below in bold are our FP+ reservations. Other are simply part of our plans at this time. I'm entirely open to any thoughts any of you have about any of this!

Sunday, October 21

• ASM - (10:00PM) Check into All-Star Movies for overnight stay.

Monday, October 22

• ASM – Breakfast at All-Star Movies
• AK – (10:10AM) Expedition Everest, (11:25AM) DINOSAUR, (12:25PM) Na'vi River Journey
• CR – (1:00PM) Check in to Contemporary, get settled in.
• MK – (2:30PM) Cinderalla’s Royal Table
• MK – (7:30PM/9:00PM) Fireworks Dessert Party with Plaza Garden Viewing/Happily Ever After

Tuesday, October 23

• MK – (7:45AM) Early Magic Hours
• MK - (10:20AM) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, (11:20AM) Meet Mickey at Town Square, (12:20PM) Space Mountain
• MK – (9:30AM) Late breakfast at Pinocchio’s Magic Haus (as part of EMH)
• CR - (2:00-6:00PM) Relax at CR.
• EP – (6-11PM) PM Touring, Illuminations, Extra Magic Hours at Epcot

Wednesday, October 24

• HS – (10:05AM) Tower Of Terror, (12:55PM) Rock N' Roll Roller Coaster
• HS – (3PM) Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
• HS - (6:50PM) Slinky Dog Dash
• HS – (8PM) Fantasmic! (As part of F! VIP package)
• MK – (10PM-12AM) Extra Magic Hours

Thursday, October 25

• CR – Breakfast @ Contempo Cafe.
• AK - (4:00PM) Flight of Passage
• MK – (6PM-12AM) Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Friday, October 26

• CR - Breakfast/Check Out
• TBD - Unsure?
• CR – (3PM) Leave Disney World for Orlando International Airport

 

[B. Shoe]

jsut joining in...great PTR..hope it all goes as planned...I am planning for 11 so it makes it so much harder...

Thank you! Eleven on the trip? I can't even imagine. My DD has actually went to Disney once prior, but doesn't remember a lot of it and she was with a larger group, also. That's really the purpose of this entire trip; one big trip to let her do everything she wants!

 

[B. Shoe]

I've went through and updated/changed around a few of our FP+ reservations. We were able to swap out Alien Swirling Saucers for Slinky Dog Dash, so we are excited about snagging that!

I'm still considering adding another dinner reservation to our schedule, but I don't want to feel like we're overloading ourselves with plans, and maybe not just going with the flow of how we're feeling at the moment.

 

[shannie102]

That looks awesome! I think going to AK just for FOP is 100% acceptable! It's also close enough to when you can get into MK for MSSNHP so you can just go from one to the other. Where would you add another dinner reservation? Don't forget F&W is going on, that's an awesome dinner any time!

 

[B. Shoe]

Where would you add another dinner reservation? Don't forget F&W is going on, that's an awesome dinner any time!

I thought about reserving a lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe on our MNSSHP date. Something we can fill up on a healthy buffet and maybe reduce our chances of having to make a larger stop for a meal during the Halloween party.

 

[shannie102]

good idea, just make sure there is enough time between breakfast and lunch then so that you can get some rest, midnight is a little late for most 10 yo. you could also do a QS at AK since you are going there too right before, just an idea

 

[Lynn in MI]

We will be at ASM on Sunday night and at EMM on Tuesday morning! Have fun!

 

[B. Shoe]

good idea, just make sure there is enough time between breakfast and lunch then so that you can get some rest, midnight is a little late for most 10 yo. you could also do a QS at AK since you are going there too right before, just an idea

We'll have to do some scouting around and see what's available! We could grab something on the go, I'm sure.

We will be at ASM on Sunday night and at EMM on Tuesday morning! Have fun!

I cannot wait for EMM! Such a neat experience. I wish we had a Disney After Hours available, but I'm sure it would be tough with all of the Halloween parties scattered through the month.

 

[B. Shoe]

We are t-minus 34 days and counting until we arrive. It's wild to think that a year ago, I was crunching, planning and asking whether we could make this work; Now our departure date is actually in the horizon. Let's get caught up on some news and notes:

• We've picked out our MNSSHP costumes! DD10 will be Belle from 'Beauty and the Beast'. (Blue dress and white apron Belle, not yellow evening gown Belle.) Yours truly has found a Pizza Planet shirt and snapback hat, and will be a Pizza Planet delivery driver! I was hopeful to find something festive, but not over the top. Plus, if it's a cool evening, I can keep a 3/4-length baseball t-shirt to slip underneath it.
• Speaking of MNSSHP, I've been reading the main forum thread and trying to put together a plan of attack for us to enjoy the evening.
• I feel pretty confident and set in our schedule for what parks to visit each day. (The updated schedule is a recent post previous in the thread.) I keep a slim line of hope alive that a FoP FastPass will open up on Monday morning that we could swap out Navi for.
• We got a little bit of magic tossed in our schedule, as Extra Magic Hours for MK have been shifted from 10p-12a on our Wednesday night. It's as close to Disney After Hours as we could ask for. If DD10 is up to it, we'll likely head back to MK for some late night rides after Fantasmic! wraps up. It works out perfectly, as Thursday is our sleep in late day, in prep for MNSSHP.
• Our MagicBands are set to ship in five days! I think it'll start to truly feel real when those arrive.

 

[rpw2014]

Just browsed through your thread and plan to follow your updates going forward. Looks like a great trip. My wife and I did a split stay in 2016 with 2 nights at Port Orleans French Quarter and 5 nights at Contemporary Resort. It was a "splurge" trip for us as we were celebrating retirement, our 45th anniversary, and our 65th birthdays. Loved being able to walk to/from MK. I am now in the planning stages for our next trip -- April 30th thru May 7th, 2019 at Coronado Springs. Maybe I'll try and do a mini pre-trip report myself. Looking forward to your next update!

 

[B. Shoe]

Just browsed through your thread and plan to follow your updates going forward. Looks like a great trip. My wife and I did a split stay in 2016 with 2 nights at Port Orleans French Quarter and 5 nights at Contemporary Resort. It was a "splurge" trip for us as we were celebrating retirement, our 45th anniversary, and our 65th birthdays. Loved being able to walk to/from MK. I am now in the planning stages for our next trip -- April 30th thru May 7th, 2019 at Coronado Springs. Maybe I'll try and do a mini pre-trip report myself. Looking forward to your next update!

Thank you! We picked up the one-night stay at All-Star Movies so we could get a jump start on our first day in the parks, instead of having to take an early flight into Orlando. The walk to and from CR to MK is definitely a plus for us, given our plans. Let me know if you create a pre-trip report, I'd love to follow along!

 

[B. Shoe]

It's a rainy Sunday evening here in the greater rural metropolitan western Illinois area, and we are now t-minus two weeks until our flight departs for Orlando and Walt Disney World!

I have the following items, listed below, for our backpack to carry with us in the parks. Other than what I've listed below, what else do I *really* need? DD10 is pretty self-sufficient, and I don't think we really need to pack everything under the sun like band-aids, etc., with her being just a little bit older:

• Portable power charger for phones.
• Rain ponchos.
• Water bottles.
• Possibly a pair of long-sleeve t's, in case it's cooler weather.
• Sunscreen.
• Extra socks.
• (Plan on shipping some snacks like Nutter Butters, Cheez-Its, etc. to keep as a quick pick-me-up.)

In other notes and random thoughts:

• Our MNSSHP costumes are on the way. If you missed previous posts, DD10 will be "blue dress and apron Belle", while yours truly will be the "Pizza Planet delivery driver."
• Speaking of MNSSHP, I'm probably asking an obvious question, but I'll still ask: Does entering MK to enter MNSSHP, eat up one of our regular park tickets, on top of our hard ticket for the event?
• Considering using Minnie Vans for transportation to make our way back to MK from HS on Wednesday, following Fantasmic! to take in the Extra Magic Hours from 10p-12a. In the grand scheme of things, I know $25 isn't the end of the world. But does anyone following along have experience (good or bad) with the Minnie Vans?
• The more I speak to DD10, the less I believe she has a real interest in visiting Epcot, even with Frozen Ever After being there. We have no reservations or FP+'s scheduled for Epcot, so our Tuesday evening plans could be up in the air. (I'd still like to make a visit there, unless something drastic changes.)

I must admit, I'm really starting to get excited as we get close to our vacation. The planning overwhelmed me for a while, but now that most of our plans are pretty firm, and I'm getting a moment to breathe, I'm eager to go!

 

[jhoannam]

It's a rainy Sunday evening here in the greater rural metropolitan western Illinois area, and we are now t-minus two weeks until our flight departs for Orlando and Walt Disney World!

I have the following items, listed below, for our backpack to carry with us in the parks. Other than what I've listed below, what else do I *really* need? DD10 is pretty self-sufficient, and I don't think we really need to pack everything under the sun like band-aids, etc., with her being just a little bit older:

• Portable power charger for phones.
• Rain ponchos.
• Water bottles.
• Possibly a pair of long-sleeve t's, in case it's cooler weather.
• Sunscreen.
• Extra socks.
• (Plan on shipping some snacks like Nutter Butters, Cheez-Its, etc. to keep as a quick pick-me-up.)

In other notes and random thoughts:

• Our MNSSHP costumes are on the way. If you missed previous posts, DD10 will be "blue dress and apron Belle", while yours truly will be the "Pizza Planet delivery driver."
• Speaking of MNSSHP, I'm probably asking an obvious question, but I'll still ask: Does entering MK to enter MNSSHP, eat up one of our regular park tickets, on top of our hard ticket for the event?
• Considering using Minnie Vans for transportation to make our way back to MK from HS on Wednesday, following Fantasmic! to take in the Extra Magic Hours from 10p-12a. In the grand scheme of things, I know $25 isn't the end of the world. But does anyone following along have experience (good or bad) with the Minnie Vans?
• The more I speak to DD10, the less I believe she has a real interest in visiting Epcot, even with Frozen Ever After being there. We have no reservations or FP+'s scheduled for Epcot, so our Tuesday evening plans could be up in the air. (I'd still like to make a visit there, unless something drastic changes.)

I must admit, I'm really starting to get excited as we get close to our vacation. The planning overwhelmed me for a while, but now that most of our plans are pretty firm, and I'm getting a moment to breathe, I'm eager to go!

Entering MK after 4pm with MNSSHP ticket doesn’t require an extra day, but going to AK for one fastpass will require a ticket. It looks like you will need 5 day park hopper with this plan. If you drop the entry to AK on your party night you’ll only need 4 day park hopper.

If you can make it to AK by 7:30am for EMH on Monday morning you might want to try to ride FOP then. By the time you ride FOP on Thursday it will be close to 5pm before you leave for MK. That’s a lot of travel for one ride, when you could walk over to MK at 4pm.

 

[DISMomma4]

Joining in! We have overlapping dates, we'll be there the 24th-30th. Loving your plans! You guys are going to have a wonderful time!

 

[shannie102]

It's a rainy Sunday evening here in the greater rural metropolitan western Illinois area, and we are now t-minus two weeks until our flight departs for Orlando and Walt Disney World!

I have the following items, listed below, for our backpack to carry with us in the parks. Other than what I've listed below, what else do I *really* need? DD10 is pretty self-sufficient, and I don't think we really need to pack everything under the sun like band-aids, etc., with her being just a little bit older:

• Portable power charger for phones.
• Rain ponchos.
• Water bottles.
• Possibly a pair of long-sleeve t's, in case it's cooler weather.
• Sunscreen.
• Extra socks.
• (Plan on shipping some snacks like Nutter Butters, Cheez-Its, etc. to keep as a quick pick-me-up.)

I always pack 2 sandwich bags, they come in handy for leftovers or putting wet stuff in (like socks) and they dont take up much room

Agree with the minnie van- its the best to use when going to MK because everyone else has to drop you off at the ticket and transportation area. worth the $25 I think

 

[B. Shoe]

Entering MK after 4pm with MNSSHP ticket doesn’t require an extra day, but going to AK for one fastpass will require a ticket. It looks like you will need 5 day park hopper with this plan. If you drop the entry to AK on your party night you’ll only need 4 day park hopper.

Thank you! I think, dropping the FoP FastPass is probably what will happen. DD10 has never watched Avatar, and really has no knowledge about the ride/movie. I think she'd enjoy having one more morning to visit a park, grab a last snack, etc. on Friday, rather than making a rushed run and burning a park ticket for what would essentially be one ride.

Joining in! We have overlapping dates, we'll be there the 24th-30th. Loving your plans! You guys are going to have a wonderful time!

Thanks! We've been putting this all together for a year, and the trip is finally in our horizon. If we make another trip to the Mouse House, it likely won't be with all the upgrades. But this is our first real vacation together, and I'm glad we're able to make all of this happen.

I always pack 2 sandwich bags, they come in handy for leftovers or putting wet stuff in (like socks) and they dont take up much room

Agree with the minnie van- its the best to use when going to MK because everyone else has to drop you off at the ticket and transportation area. worth the $25 I think

I've got some gallon-sized Ziploc bags. Those will be perfect. And yes, we won't use a Minnie Van at any other time in the trip. But allowing ourselves some time to get out of Fantasmic, get to the exit and back up to MK, I'd like to think we'd make it back to MK by 9-9:15, if everything goes smoothly.

 

[jhoannam]

Thanks! We've been putting this all together for a year, and the trip is finally in our horizon. If we make another trip to the Mouse House, it likely won't be with all the upgrades. But this is our first real vacation together, and I'm glad we're able to make all of this happen.

I don’t recommend skipping FOP... It’s the best ride at WDW. We rode it 3 times during our May trip, the second we waited 90 minutes and none of us regret the wait. Try to ride it during EMH or at the very end of the night.