There was a dearth of Mickey Bars -a March 2015 PTR- update 4/1 - link to TR!

[ksl5f123]

Two weeks from today is my very first FP+ reservation night! So, please help me figure out what to do with that!

Let's start with our first park - Animal Kingdom!


Here are our "must do's":
Kilmanjaro Safari


Pangani Trail


Maharajah Jungle Trek


The Boneyard


Festival of the Lion King


If there is time, we also want:
Flights of Wonder


Triceratops Spin


Finding Nemo - we have never seen this, I would like to work it in

Kali River Rapids


Rafiki's Planet Watch

Meet Mickey


I think that is 5 attractions that have FP+ (Safari, FotLK, Nemo, Kali, Mickey M&G). Clearly, I will use one for the Safari, but I am torn about the last two. I'm not really sure that FP+ will help us at FotLK or Nemo. I love Kali, but C currently says she won't ride and D might not be tall enough (he is currently about 36 inches. I don't know if he can grow 2 inches by March). FIL will be happy to sit out with non-riders, if we choose to go that route. I am thinking that Mickey might be a good choice for one FP+. D loves Mickey so I want to make sure he gets to see him on our first park day.

So, what would you choose as your other FP+?

In the past, our touring plan has always looked like this:
rope drop
FP runner to Safari, everyone else to Triceratops Spin
Pangani
FotLK
Safari with fp
FP runner to Kali
FoW
lunch
Maharajah jungle trek
Kali
parade
Rafiki's Planet watch
leave

This trip, we have an ADR at Yak and Yeti at 2:15 (still can't get a better time). So, we will probably have a mid-morning snack. We might be able to catch Nemo after our ADR - isn't there a show at about 4 PM? Aside from doing away with the FP runner and removing the parade worried, is there anything you would change about that touring plan to deal better with FP+?

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Animal kingdom is a tricky one.

We ended up deciding to skip doing fp+ there and save our FP+ for our later parks in the day.

I would go with Safari/ MIckey/ and either Kali or Nemo with the knowledge you just might not use it.

 

[Jackiemarie21]

I think AK is so hard to plan for! There are so many things that you just kind of wander around and take in there. I always find that planning for that park is so dependent on how much you feel like exploring that day. If I were I would go with safari/Mickey/nemo. If you dont end up using nemo, oh well. So exciting that it is almost time to do you FP+!

 

[SarahDisney]

Excellent plan for AK!

In terms of FP+ - Kiliminjaro Safaris is definitely a good call. We did Mickey & Minnie when we went in November - I don't know that it's necessary, but it does make the wait a drop shorter. In terms of the third one, I think you can just pick Nemo or Festival of the Lion King and know that you might not use it (and if you do, it might not make much of a difference). Problem is that there isn't really too much in the park that required FP, so it's hard.
The other option would be to get Kali - which you often really do benefit from the FP - and just end up not using it if not everyone wants to ride. Who knows, maybe D will grow (it's possible), and maybe the weather will be hot and C will decide that she does want to ride. My philosophy is that it's better to have it and either change it (pretty easy to do from the app) or not use it than to not have it.

In terms of touring order - I think you could probably still do that order if that's what has worked for you in the past. A lot of people say that FP+ totally changes the way you do the parks, but I think that's not necessarily true - if you schedule your FP+ right, you can use the same touring schedule, just without the running for fastpasses part.

 

[ksl5f123]

Animal kingdom is a tricky one.

We ended up deciding to skip doing fp+ there and save our FP+ for our later parks in the day.

I would go with Safari/ MIckey/ and either Kali or Nemo with the knowledge you just might not use it.

We aren't park hopping - it doesn't fit our style - so I might as well use the FP+ here. Thanks for the opinion!

I think AK is so hard to plan for! There are so many things that you just kind of wander around and take in there. I always find that planning for that park is so dependent on how much you feel like exploring that day. If I were I would go with safari/Mickey/nemo. If you dont end up using nemo, oh well. So exciting that it is almost time to do you FP+!

I am so glad that both of you have said AK is tricky! I never felt it was before, but now I feel like a newbie again!

Excellent plan for AK!

In terms of FP+ - Kiliminjaro Safaris is definitely a good call. We did Mickey & Minnie when we went in November - I don't know that it's necessary, but it does make the wait a drop shorter. In terms of the third one, I think you can just pick Nemo or Festival of the Lion King and know that you might not use it (and if you do, it might not make much of a difference). Problem is that there isn't really too much in the park that required FP, so it's hard.
The other option would be to get Kali - which you often really do benefit from the FP - and just end up not using it if not everyone wants to ride. Who knows, maybe D will grow (it's possible), and maybe the weather will be hot and C will decide that she does want to ride. My philosophy is that it's better to have it and either change it (pretty easy to do from the app) or not use it than to not have it.

In terms of touring order - I think you could probably still do that order if that's what has worked for you in the past. A lot of people say that FP+ totally changes the way you do the parks, but I think that's not necessarily true - if you schedule your FP+ right, you can use the same touring schedule, just without the running for fastpasses part.

Thanks for the advice. I am going to stick with our touring plan. I just downloaded the app yesterday. It does seem pretty straightforward to change things.

 

[ksl5f123]

So I think I have my AK plans set in my head. Here is what we are going to try:

9AM - rope drop - Triceratops spin - maybe 2x
9:30 - meet Mickey with FP+ (hoping for earliest slot of the day when D is in a good mood)
9:40 - FotLK 10 AM show
10:45 - Safari with FP+ (hoping for a 10-11 Am slot)
11:15 - grab a snack
11:30 - Flights of Wonder 11:45 AM show
12:00 - Pangani
12:30 - Kali with FP+ (hoping for 12-1 PM slot)
1:15 - Maharajah Jungle trek
1:45 - maybe a character meet or some time in the Boneyard
2:15 - meal at Yak and Yeti
4:00 - Finding Nemo
5:00 - return to resort if people are tired or go to Rafiki's if they are not

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Looks like a good plan from what I can see.

 

[ksl5f123]

Up next, Magic Kingdom! OK, so this one is hard in a completely different way than AK. Of the 28 FP+ enabled attractions, there are 17 I want to do and 20 DH would want (he adds the thrills and subtracts the teacups). The kids all fall somewhere between my list and DH's. I asked DH and the three big kids to vote for their top 5 FP+ attractions.

Here are the results and my thoughts on the 10 toughest to get ones:

1.Anna and Elsa at Princess Fairytale Hall – the girls had no interest in meeting them at DL this summer and say they are not interested again. I am a little disappointed since J will be in the Elsa dress I am making her on this day.

2.Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – DH, J, T, and MIL will want to ride. FIL and I will not want to ride and C says no right now. I have watched the YouTube videos and while I would love to see the animatronic section, it is just too close to a roller coaster for me. Again, D will likely not make the height requirement. It got 3 votes.

3.Peter Pan’s Flight - LOVE this - no votes because we always rope drop it and don't need a fp

4.Space Mountain – DH likes this and J thinks she is ready to try for the first time. It got 2 votes - DH is OK with missing Peter Pan this trip to try to rope drop this with J.

5.Splash Mountain – DH, J, and MIL will want to ride. FIL is a maybe. The other kids will not ride. It got 1 vote.

6.Enchanted Tales with Belle – one of my favorites – nobody voted for this, but I don't like the line here and I love this attraction. C said she would do it with me.

7.Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – J's favorite ride – DH, MIL and T will want to ride too. It got 3 votes. In the past, we have had short lines if we go about one hour after park open.

8.Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – a favorite of everyone! It got 4 votes.

9.Tomorrowland Speedway – the kids will want to do this (I think) and I hate the line here. It got 3 votes.

C also voted for Cinderella and Rapunzel, Haunted Mansion, and Monster's Inc Laugh Floor. I REALLY hope we don't need a FP for the Laugh Floor.

Right now, DH and I have come up with 3 possible choices for our FP+
plan 1:
Seven Dwarfs/ETWB - split 4/3 for DH, J, T, and MIL / me, C, FIL, and D (too young for a FP)
Speedway
Buzz

plan 2:
Seven Dwarfs/ETWB
Speedway
Anna/Elsa – because DH and I agree that the kids will actually enjoy this even if they say now they aren't interested

plan 3:
Seven Dwarfs/ETWB
Speedway
BTMRR/Rapunzel – doing the same 4/3 split, but letting J use FIL's magic band

 

[Gracefulskinny]

If you think that there is even the remotest chance that the girls will change their mind and want to see Anna and Elsa I vote with the plan that includes a FP for it. If Day of they really don't want to then you can always switch it to something else.

Also do you have a back up plan incase you aren't able to get Mine Train FPs?

 

[SarahDisney]

AK plan looks great!

In terms of MK -
Anna & Elsa is the hardest one to get, so it may be worth it to get it in case the girls change their minds, and if they still don't want to, you can change it. I don't really know what's available day of (we haven't really tried to get more than 1, but we did get a late POTC in November).

I find it interesting that you've had short lines an hour after park open at BTMRR. We've had that at Space Mountain on the past few trips, so if J wants to try ... they can try it then and still rope drop Peter Pan with you.

All three plans look good. Hopefully you'll be able to get Seven Dwarfs (it's a lot easier to get than it used to be), but you may want to have a backup in case you can't.

Good luck with the final selections - MK is always one of the hardest parks to pick FP!

 

[ksl5f123]

If you think that there is even the remotest chance that the girls will change their mind and want to see Anna and Elsa I vote with the plan that includes a FP for it. If Day of they really don't want to then you can always switch it to something else.

Also do you have a back up plan incase you aren't able to get Mine Train FPs?

AK plan looks great!

In terms of MK -
Anna & Elsa is the hardest one to get, so it may be worth it to get it in case the girls change their minds, and if they still don't want to, you can change it. I don't really know what's available day of (we haven't really tried to get more than 1, but we did get a late POTC in November).

I find it interesting that you've had short lines an hour after park open at BTMRR. We've had that at Space Mountain on the past few trips, so if J wants to try ... they can try it then and still rope drop Peter Pan with you.

All three plans look good. Hopefully you'll be able to get Seven Dwarfs (it's a lot easier to get than it used to be), but you may want to have a backup in case you can't.

Good luck with the final selections - MK is always one of the hardest parks to pick FP!

Thanks ladies! I think I am going to try for the A&E. My girls often say they aren't interested in characters, but then they love them when they get there. I know I want to try for the 7DMT because it looks like such a trial even at rope drop. I am leaning toward the speedway just because I hate the queue for that one, standing out in the sun. As an attraction, I would be OK with missing it since the version at DL is so much better.

 

[ksl5f123]

I just realized that I never posted about our 80 day party. We watched the Pirate Fairy which is the newest of the Tinkerbell movies. I had never seen it before, but the girls told me that a running theme was all the different colors of pixie dust. So, we had:

yellow pixie dust - corn
green pixie dust - peas
purple pixie dust - blueberries
gold pixie dust - cheese cubes
pink and blue pixie dust - cake pops



A close up of the cake pops because they are actually OK looking this time.



We also had butterfly shaped sandwiches (some pb&j, some grilled cheese) as there are butterflies at the end of the movie.



In other news, Girl Scout cookie sales started yesterday! We went door-to-door in our neighborhood in about 35 degree weather. Brrrrr! But the girls did great and sold 148 boxes between the two of them on Day 1. Today we set up their websites. We are allowed to sell online for the very first time. Very exciting! Here are the pictures we took for their websites:



Oh, and I finally finished C's Minnie Mouse dress for our trip! It is the first of our customs that I have done and my first project on the new sewing machine I got for Christmas.


MIL and I are getting together Tuesday morning to look over all our plans. I want to go over FP+ and ADRs with her. I have a couple of ADRs that I am thinking of changing (because no DISer can ever go with their original plan right?)

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Love the Minnie Mouse Dress! I really do wish that I was better with my sewing machine, though maybe our bank account is better off without those skills!

Good job on the Pirate Fairy Night!

 

[ursalita]

The dress is adorable! Girl Scout Cookie time! I can't wait for the local troops to start selling the cookies, I can't resist them. Love the fairy themed food for your movie night.

 

[SarahDisney]

I love the different colors of pixie dust! And those cake pops look great!

I love the Minnie Mouse dress!

Getting together with your MIL before FP+ day is a really good idea ... hopefully going over everything with her will really help "finalize" everything.

And yeah, really, what DISer doesn't change ADRs multiple times?

 

[ksl5f123]

Love the Minnie Mouse Dress! I really do wish that I was better with my sewing machine, though maybe our bank account is better off without those skills!

Good job on the Pirate Fairy Night!

Sewing can be VERY hard on the budget! I just spent $50 today at Hobby Lobby for some new supplies.

The dress is adorable! Girl Scout Cookie time! I can't wait for the local troops to start selling the cookies, I can't resist them. Love the fairy themed food for your movie night.

Thanks! I think she is going to look really cute in it. I might still add a belt as C is pretty skinny and doesn't really like loose clothes.

Most Girl Scout councils are doing pre-orders now. Booth sales should start in about a month.

I love the different colors of pixie dust! And those cake pops look great!

I love the Minnie Mouse dress!

Getting together with your MIL before FP+ day is a really good idea ... hopefully going over everything with her will really help "finalize" everything.

And yeah, really, what DISer doesn't change ADRs multiple times?

Thanks! I love making cake pops and have serious Pinterest envy. For something that looks like it should be simple, it is actually quite challenging.

We had our "meeting" today and yes, there are some changes...

 

[ksl5f123]

Tuesday night we had our 70 days party! We watched Tangled which is one of my favorite movies! Here is the menu:



Rapunzel's hair = spaghetti
Maximus's apples = apples
Rapunzel's tower = ice cream cones filled with cupcakes with purple icing and a braid of hair made from yellow fondant
Snuggly duckling ale = the kids were allowed to drink apple or mango juice which is HUGE for them. We only ever drink water at suppertime.



A close-up of the towers - I wish I had time to cover the ice cream cones with fondant like I saw on Pinterest, but I actually have other things to do with my day.


In other news, meeting with my MIL today did result in a few changes to our ADRS. Here is the new list

Saturday - we will probably get in around 5 PM, but don't want to be late for anything, so no ADR this day

Sunday - church, hanging out at the resort, T-Rex at 5 PM, DH and I might go to Epcot for a few hours to enjoy the Flower and Garden Festival

Monday - AK day - we decided to keep the 2:30 PM ADR at Yak and Yeti and just plan for a couple of snacks

Tuesday - 10:50 AM girls to BBB in Downtown Disney! They are excited about this. J is about to age out of it, so she wanted to go one last time. We will then hang out at Downtown Disney for a while. This is our check-in day at the Contemporary and we have a 5:15 PM ADR for the Luau at the Poly!

Wednesday - I'll come back to this!

Thursday - 7:45 AM ADR at Chef Mickey, 6:30 PM ADR at Tutto Italia

Friday - We added a 12:30 PM ADR at 50's Prime Time in addition to our 5 PM ADR at Boma

Now, about Wednesday. We added an 8:20 AM ADR at Crystal Palace. We also have a 4:15 PM ADR at CRT. Here are the pros and cons of the CRT:

pro - it is the CASTLE!, T requested it, no lines for princesses, the girls will be wearing dresses (J in Elsa and C in Minnie or Alice)

cons - J is now a Disney adult and can't find anything on the adult menu to eat. $70 for a meal she won't eat. We can't get a table for 8. We have two tables for 4 that may or may not be anywhere near each other. None of the characters from the girls' dresses meet here.

other info - we have eaten at CRT many times before. T wanted to do it because he wanted a new sword. I found two from our previous trips just this week. If we cancel the CRT, we will try to get a FP+ for BOG for lunch and then have supper at California Grill. The girls are excited about Cali Grill and it would be easy if we take a break in our room at the Contemporary.

So, what would other DISers do? Keep the CRT or switch to BOG and Cali?

 

[Gracefulskinny]

At $70 for a single meal she better dang well better be willing to eat and able to ENJOY it. I say hands down this along would cause me to cancel.

With the solution you presented with a FP+ at BOG AND a Meal at Cali that they would be just as excited or more about I think that makes things a bit of a no brainer. With BOG she still gets to eat in A castle if not THE castle.

Your Tangled night looked great.

(I'd give you feedback on your other changes but I am working off of 2 nights in a row of minimal sleep thanks to my teething toddler{thank god its the last set of molars!} My mind is kinda in the mush stage at this point. )

 

[SarahDisney]

Those towers are pretty great ... but yeah, people who post things on Pinterest have way too much free time. I love the Tangled party stuff.

In terms of the ADRs ... I can't be of much help because I don't eat the food and I've never been to CRT, but I know that the castle at BOG is great, and if you've already done CRT a lot, it might be nice to try something new. Cali Grill is also good because if you go at a certain time and can get a window table, it's supposedly an amazing view of the fireworks (not sure if the fireworks are too late for you to eat dinner though ... I know a lot of people can't wait that long to eat).
Long story short ... I'd say switch to BOG & Cali, but ultimately it's what you guys think you will enjoy best.

 

[ksl5f123]

At $70 for a single meal she better dang well better be willing to eat and able to ENJOY it. I say hands down this along would cause me to cancel.

With the solution you presented with a FP+ at BOG AND a Meal at Cali that they would be just as excited or more about I think that makes things a bit of a no brainer. With BOG she still gets to eat in A castle if not THE castle.

Your Tangled night looked great.

I am really leaning toward cancelling the CRT. It is hard, because I know if I let it go there is no way I can get it back. But it just doesn't seem like the best choice for us this year.

Those towers are pretty great ... but yeah, people who post things on Pinterest have way too much free time. I love the Tangled party stuff.

In terms of the ADRs ... I can't be of much help because I don't eat the food and I've never been to CRT, but I know that the castle at BOG is great, and if you've already done CRT a lot, it might be nice to try something new. Cali Grill is also good because if you go at a certain time and can get a window table, it's supposedly an amazing view of the fireworks (not sure if the fireworks are too late for you to eat dinner though ... I know a lot of people can't wait that long to eat).
Long story short ... I'd say switch to BOG & Cali, but ultimately it's what you guys think you will enjoy best.

I have serious Pinterest envy. I try really hard with the desserts to make them look like the pictures, but it never quite works out that way.

Thanks for the opinions everyone! They really do help!