Week After Turkey Day Shenanigans

[X96msm]

I have my tentative plan worked out Or should I say my second tentative plan worked out LOL!!
We are family of 4) 2 adults DS 6, DD 4, We are at CSR with the Dining Plan and Memory maker, I think it came out around $3100. But we'll be adding the Party on Tuesday for another (cough) almost $400 .
But it's our first trip and I want to do it right. Plus when I first started to run the numbers without the party my trip was $4300.... So we're still getting a good deal . 

Onto the plan
Our Dates are 11/26-12/3, but we are driving down on Friday and staying close so The 26th is a park day

Sat 11/26- AK (Extended hours) 8 am- 5PM Dinner at Tusker House 5:30

Sun- 11/27- HS (Extended Hours) 8am-7pm Dinner at Hollywood and Vine, Fantasmic (I hope)

Mon-11/28 Magic Kingdom –BOG Breakfast 8am, Be Our Guest (Late) Dinner.

Tues- 11/29- MVMCP (Having Brunch at Chef Mickeys 2:30)

Wend- Break Day – Eat wherever but thinking of doing Disney Springs

DJ KIDS DANCE PARTY AT WATERSIDE STAGE, maybe dinner at T rex (Anyone been here, is it cool?)

Thurs- 12/1 MK- Chrystal Palace Breakfast 8 am-ish

Fri: Epcot- Akershus –Dinner (I am saving Epcot for last so we can burn all those snack Credits that I am sure will be left
Sat headed home

Does anyone know when the 180 day window opens? Is it at Midnight, or sometime in the morning hours?
And any tips for getting my son in the Star Wars show? Our HS day is an early extended hours day, so making early breakfast reservations seems moot, or is it since we can get in 15 minutes early? Also, I heard there was a new sign up kiosk outside of the front gate for it, any ideas when that opens?

Thanks, so much!! This thread has been full of great info!

Hey, we did TRex last year and loved it.

 

[kimyinpink]

Hey, we did TRex last year and loved it.

Ditto! Plan on doing it again this year!

 

[Iowamomof4]

I'm so excited! After days and days of going over restaurants, reviews, park plans, etc... we finally have a list of meals ready to go for our ADR date in a couple weeks. Now I just need December hours (ahem, Mickey, if you're listening... get working on those!) so I can decide which days we'll do which meals!

Our list (subject to change, of course):
1. Crystal Palace breakfast
2. 1900 Park Fare breakfast/brunch
3. Boma breakfast
4. Captain's Grille breakfast (have heard great things about the buffet!)
5. Garden Grill breakfast
6. Whispering Canyon dinner
7. Hollywood & Vine dinner (Minnie's Holiday Dine)
8. Sanaa dinner
9. Tutto Italia dinner

What a relief to have that all figured out! Most/all of the breakfasts will be late (10:30 or later) so they can sort of count as an early lunch.

 

[missnikki411]

I'm so excited I found this board. This is our 6th trip since 2010. My husband and I are staying at CSR 11-26 through 12-2. We are still awaiting park hours for December to figure out what days at what parks and our ADR. We are definitely planning on Minnie's Holiday Dine for the adorable costumes and treats and bought tickets for the Tuesday 11-29 MVMCP. We want to be able to "wing it" as much as possible this trip so planning mostly lunch ADR's I think so our evenings we can hop around as we please . I can't wait to read everyone else's plans!!

 

[maybethisyear]

Well....looks like our Disney plans have been squashed. Southwest flights on the way there are over 500 - ONE WAY! We just can't do it. We were expecting that we might have to trim Sunday off to get flights more affordable, but we were budgeting about 300 each round trip. Maybe next year.

 

[Iowamomof4]

Well....looks like our Disney plans have been squashed. Southwest flights on the way there are over 500 - ONE WAY! We just can't do it. We were expecting that we might have to trim Sunday off to get flights more affordable, but we were budgeting about 300 each round trip. Maybe next year.

Don't cancel just yet. Although, Sunday will probably remain high as that's one of the most popular travel days of the year. Anyway, I think the prices this morning were crazy for many of us and I anticipate they'll come back down in a few weeks.

 

[Meeko5]

Well....looks like our Disney plans have been squashed. Southwest flights on the way there are over 500 - ONE WAY! We just can't do it. We were expecting that we might have to trim Sunday off to get flights more affordable, but we were budgeting about 300 each round trip. Maybe next year.

I'm sorry, keep checking though! I hope prices come down and you can make it work.

 

[Meeko5]

I'm so excited I found this board. This is our 6th trip since 2010. My husband and I are staying at CSR 11-26 through 12-2. We are still awaiting park hours for December to figure out what days at what parks and our ADR. We are definitely planning on Minnie's Holiday Dine for the adorable costumes and treats and bought tickets for the Tuesday 11-29 MVMCP. We want to be able to "wing it" as much as possible this trip so planning mostly lunch ADR's I think so our evenings we can hop around as we please . I can't wait to read everyone else's plans!!

Hello! It's going to be a GREAT week I'm deciding between the holiday dine and chef mickey's for our character meal. too many choices!

 

[kimyinpink]

So I booked our flights this morning. They weren't exactly what I wanted but I am worried with flying on a Holiday weekend that it might be our best bet? We fly out of ATL so our rates are a lot more reasonable vs u guys far away. Last year we flew for $100 round trip per person (DS #2 was only 1 so he didn't need a ticket). This year we are paying $200 round trip per person (so $500 more on airfare than last year). Plus we had to fly out on Friday instead of Saturday or it would have been another $600. So now add a RO for Friday night and that is another $160. I knew last year I got the deal of the century... Both kids free at Disney, insanely cheap airfare but I guess I am just feeling guilty. I really want to do Disney again this year bc I am hoping to try for baby #3 afterwards, thus we will need to take a year off from my Disney obsession. However, I just feel like I am letting my emotions lead me in not making great economical decisions! Oh well you only live once I guess. Sorry for the long post my husband hates my indecisive worrying so thought I would just vent /stress here!

 

[kimyinpink]

Well....looks like our Disney plans have been squashed. Southwest flights on the way there are over 500 - ONE WAY! We just can't do it. We were expecting that we might have to trim Sunday off to get flights more affordable, but we were budgeting about 300 each round trip. Maybe next year.

Is there anyway u could go a couple of days earlier? Looking at the flexible days calendar Friday flights are seriously a couple of hundred dollars less than Sunday ones!

 

[Meeko5]

So I booked our flights this morning. They weren't exactly what I wanted but I am worried with flying on a Holiday weekend that it might be our best bet? We fly out of ATL so our rates are a lot more reasonable vs u guys far away. Last year we flew for $100 round trip per person (DS #2 was only 1 so he didn't need a ticket). This year we are paying $200 round trip per person (so $500 more on airfare than last year). Plus we had to fly out on Friday instead of Saturday or it would have been another $600. So now add a RO for Friday night and that is another $160. I knew last year I got the deal of the century... Both kids free at Disney, insanely cheap airfare but I guess I am just feeling guilty. I really want to do Disney again this year bc I am hoping to try for baby #3 afterwards, thus we will need to take a year off from my Disney obsession. However, I just feel like I am letting my emotions lead me in not making great economical decisions! Oh well you only live once I guess. Sorry for the long post my husband hates my indecisive worrying so thought I would just vent /stress here!

I SO HEAR YOU!

Our youngest was under 2 last year so flew for free. We got great airfare, free dining, stayed value, etc. people were so shocked how affordable we made the trip and how much we did. We had such an awesome time we decided to go again and take advantage of free dining and a kid still under 3 so free at Disney.

Should we be saving the money? Absolutely! But will our kids look back and remember that? No! I want to balance living for the moment and be financially responsible, but meh. We will balance it next year by not going to Disney for a 3rd year in a row. Maybe

(We also are adding a RO day on Friday and flying down earlier. Saving us $350...which we will spend for another night and another park day lol)

 

[kimyinpink]

I SO HEAR YOU!

Our youngest was under 2 last year so flew for free. We got great airfare, free dining, stayed value, etc. people were so shocked how affordable we made the trip and how much we did. We had such an awesome time we decided to go again and take advantage of free dining and a kid still under 3 so free at Disney.

Should we be saving the money? Absolutely! But will our kids look back and remember that? No! I want to balance living for the moment and be financially responsible, but meh. We will balance it next year by not going to Disney for a 3rd year in a row. Maybe

(We also are adding a RO day on Friday and flying down earlier. Saving us $350...which we will spend for another night and another park day lol)

We are kindred Disney spirits!

 

[heath92681]

Good thing I booked my flights this morning! One flight jumped from $123 to $283!! Now I need to book a room only reservation for one night. Maybe POR?

 

[Meeko5]

Good thing I booked my flights this morning! One flight jumped from $123 to $283!! Now I need to book a room only reservation for one night. Maybe POR?

Disney and SW must be in cahoots, so many of us are adding a night for cheaper flights! Haha

 

[kellyjeanie]

Well now that I have flights I can try to figure out arrival and departure days. I have one more TS meal to schedule. My original plan was to do a breakfast or brunch on the day we fly out, and I do have time, but DH told me today he doesn't want to do that. Last time we did Chef Mickey on our departure day and DH said he was so burnt out by then that he could have happily eaten a dry rice cake for breakfast, and any sort of meal was just too much. I have to say he hid it well, I had no idea! lol So since we're getting in Friday I'm wondering if I should schedule something on Saturday 11/26. I suppose every park, every resort restaurant, and Disney Springs are all going to be a nightmare. I wonder if a late lunch in Disney Springs might not be terrible? Otherwise I could wait to see what my friend decides on for her ADRs and use that last TS for that, we'd like to schedule at least one together that week but we have such different tastes in food so who knows if we'll overlap at all.

Wellll that was a lot of babbling but I do have a question in there, lol. What's the Saturday after Thanksgiving like property-wide? Is it safer just to stay at the resort, or is Disney Springs an option?

 

[heath92681]

Well now that I have flights I can try to figure out arrival and departure days. I have one more TS meal to schedule. My original plan was to do a breakfast or brunch on the day we fly out, and I do have time, but DH told me today he doesn't want to do that. Last time we did Chef Mickey on our departure day and DH said he was so burnt out by then that he could have happily eaten a dry rice cake for breakfast, and any sort of meal was just too much. I have to say he hid it well, I had no idea! lol So since we're getting in Friday I'm wondering if I should schedule something on Saturday 11/26. I suppose every park, every resort restaurant, and Disney Springs are all going to be a nightmare. I wonder if a late lunch in Disney Springs might not be terrible? Otherwise I could wait to see what my friend decides on for her ADRs and use that last TS for that, we'd like to schedule at least one together that week but we have such different tastes in food so who knows if we'll overlap at all.

Wellll that was a lot of babbling but I do have a question in there, lol. What's the Saturday after Thanksgiving like property-wide? Is it safer just to stay at the resort, or is Disney Springs an option?

Curious to know what Saturday is like as well...

 

[kimyinpink]

Curious to know what Saturday is like as well...

I have the same burning question

 

[Meeko5]

Not a damn clue about how busy it will be either. Time to start stalking trip reports! Haha

 

[Meeko5]

Well now that I have flights I can try to figure out arrival and departure days. I have one more TS meal to schedule. My original plan was to do a breakfast or brunch on the day we fly out, and I do have time, but DH told me today he doesn't want to do that. Last time we did Chef Mickey on our departure day and DH said he was so burnt out by then that he could have happily eaten a dry rice cake for breakfast, and any sort of meal was just too much. I have to say he hid it well, I had no idea! lol So since we're getting in Friday I'm wondering if I should schedule something on Saturday 11/26. I suppose every park, every resort restaurant, and Disney Springs are all going to be a nightmare. I wonder if a late lunch in Disney Springs might not be terrible? Otherwise I could wait to see what my friend decides on for her ADRs and use that last TS for that, we'd like to schedule at least one together that week but we have such different tastes in food so who knows if we'll overlap at all.

We had lunch at WPE last fall on a saturday and it Downtown Disney was packed, but we had no trouble navigating and finding a table. Then DH and DS1 used our DisneyQuest vouchers while the toddler and I shopped (and he crashed in the stroller thank god). I think if you're onsite and taking a bus over and back, it should be ok. We plan to have dinner there (hoping for T Rex!) on Saturday and wander around a bit too, if I can brave the crowds you can too!

 

[missnikki411]

I'm worried about 11/26 too. I wanted to go to the parks since we get in at 11AM but I feel like it might be chaotic there. Hopefully the weather cooperates so we can lounge by the pool and hit up Disney Springs instead.