We're Changing The Plan Again?? You mean there's a Plan? New TR Posted/Link Posted

[Belle83]

Love the Downtown Disney pics! I think staying off site for part of the stay is a great idea for that first night in town. I sort of wish we had done that, too.

 

[TinksThree]

Love the Downtown Disney pics! I think staying off site for part of the stay is a great idea for that first night in town. I sort of wish we had done that, too.

I think it is a very cost effective idea. Especially since we do not arrive until 5pm or 6pm usually. That is not enough time to enjoy the amenities you are paying for!

 

[TinksThree]

I sincerely apologize for going AWOL! Things have been a bit crazy and I have been working on a project that has consumed a good bit of my time!

I left off with the conclusion of Thursday, our first night. We actually managed to get a good nights rest and awoke Friday morning raring to go!

The Plan was that we would get up, check-in at PO French Quarter, and hopefully make it to the park by 10am. I had a great Touring Plan all lined out and hoped to accomplish some major rides I knew Keith would not like before our 1pm reservations.

So what really happened at the start of this day? (Now remember this is the Friday of Memorial Day weekend)

We woke up and began getting ready. We had packed one bag to alleviate unloading the van and then having to load back up so this did not take long. My mom and I both are early risers and the kids are morning people when we get to Disney (I think it may be the air there!). We are loaded and checked out of the Quality Inn at 7am. We make the 10 minute drive to POFQ--no traffic delays!!

Soon we are seeing this:

Unfortunately I did not get a picture of "THE" sign. My mom tried snapping one quickly but we only got Minnie Mouse. Thankfully I have plenty from our previous trips!

We park and make our way into the lobby:

I had done the online check-in but there was no one else checking in at 7:15am. Still it does seem to make things a lot more seemless. I had to answer fewer questions it seemed. Now this is where I have made a major note for next time: Make requests for anything "special". More on that later!!

We get a very friendly lady from a Caribbean Island that spoke very broken English. Thankfully since I had done this drill before I knew the ins and outs of our package, the Dining Plan and so forth. My mom eventually told me (while the nice Cast Member was away) that she would just agree to everything and let me tell her the directions later. She did make me promise that she wasn't agreeing to loss of limb or life though!!

While we were checking in I snapped a picture looking towards the Gift Shop:

And then we decided we had Quick Service credits....that meant breakfast!!!!

First a stop by the fountain:

And then it was on to the Food Court. My mom's first lesson in the joys of the Dining Plan. I think the Dining Plan has it merits. I really like it but that doesn't mean I will use it every trip. I have done trips with and without the Dining Plan. I think pre-planning is important to determine if it is worth the cost. For this trip, we had free dining so I planned to milk this thing for all it was worth!!

We enter the Food Court and determine what we want to eat. Chris, Mom and I all got the Western Omlett. We had these at All-Star Sports in March 2009 and it tastes exactly the same! I had several of these over the week!

Sorry, my hunger almost made me forget to snap a picture!

Madison chose to get Beingets...using a snack credit. Well, actually two since she also got a juice.

A few shots of the Food Court area...very Mardi Gras. This area actually reminds me (a lot) of the Food Court at the Riverwalk Mall in New Orleans. I love New Orleans and we go very frequently. I grew up within an hour of The Big Easy and feel as much a Louisiannan as a Mississippian. You will see me make several comparisons between POFQ and New Orleans. My love for New Orleans is also a huge reason I never thought I would stay at either PO Resorts. We tried it last year for the boat ride solely and fell in love. Even though it is a lot like "home" it is very different. Plus we are always within a 15-20 minute ride to any park...so in some ways it is even better!!

By this time it is around 8am or so. Yes....that means we left Quality Inn, checked in to POFQ, and got breakfast PLUS ate within 1 hour! So what next? To the BUS STOP OF COURSE!!! We make our way out and wait for a bus. Last year we would wait forever and that was my one complaint....the bus wait times. Today, however, our wait was no more than 10 minutes!!

We load up and make the very short 15 minute drive to Magic Kingdom!! I am so excited because I love Rope Drop at Magic Kingdom!!! And we are going to make it!! Actually we more than make it! We are standing in front of this beauty:

at exactly 8:37am!! My Plan was to be at Magic Kingdom by 10am....Well, nix that plan in the bud!!! I am still going to stick to the Touring Plan but we have added a whole hour to our day!!

We people watch while we wait for the start of the Welcome Show. One last chance to spiff the place up before the day officially begins!!

And then The Announcement!!! It is about to begin!!!! The little girl inside of me wanted to jump up and down and scream "I am here!! I am here!!! Let the Party begin!!!" But I refrained and simply stared in complete awe with tears in my eyes as the Welcome Show began! I know if anyone took my picture I would have had the goofiest grin EVER plastered on my face. I stole a glance at my mom and saw her grinning too so I did not feel like too much of a goofball. Then I glanced around and noticed other adults singing along....only at Disney World!!!

The Welcome Show!!

A Welcome from the Mayor

There were so many characters on this day!!

The Family of the Day...I think they were from Ohio (?)

Bored with The Welcome Show pictures? I actually took a lot more but thought I would not bore you too much!!

The crowds converge...so many people!!!

According to the clock on Main Street, it is 9am and we are well on our way!!

So where to first?? What is our game plan for the day? And will it all work out according to The Plan??

 

[ksl5f123]

for making rope drop. That is already a productive morning.

Your breakfast looked pretty good, but I am with Madison - I would have had the beignets.

The lobby at POFQ looks beautiful. I can't wait to see your room pictures.

 

[lbuzz52]

wow, you guys are really on the ball this morning. looks like quite a crowd; that touring plan may come in handy!

 

[mtgirl29]

Glad you are back! Sorry to hear you have been so busy.
I LOVE POFQ!
WHOOOOHOOOO! for making Rope Drop. We haven't make it to RD, ever! Can you believe that? That is my wish for us. Hubby is so determined to stay late at the parks the first night we arrive, we are almost continually worn out for the rest of the trip.
I really need to get on the ball and do my next installment of my TR, too.
Cannot wait to read more!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Wow, you just blew your plan completely out of the water!

Nice making it to rope drop at the Magic Kingdom.

I love POFQ. I would have to say it's definitely my favorite mod.

 

[SimmerBaggins]

This day is such a WIN!! I would be as happy as a clam.

(why are clams happy?)

Isn't it like you want to SQUEEZE every little bit of joy out of those rope drop moments?? I've only been to 2 (MK and DHS), and it's great, but that press of people can be a little irritating.

The best thing about it, afterward, is that you get in ALL the RIDES...(sigh). I wanna go right now. Being at work is just not doing it for me.

 

[TinksThree]

for making rope drop. That is already a productive morning.

Your breakfast looked pretty good, but I am with Madison - I would have had the beignets.

The lobby at POFQ looks beautiful. I can't wait to see your room pictures.

I was so excited that we made Rope Drop! And what was even better was that we weren't "trying" but instead it all just happened!

I really enjoy the breakfast and I like having the DDP because then I don't feel so guilty spending $9 on breakfast!

POFQ is a very pretty resort! It is laid out well and so peaceful.

wow, you guys are really on the ball this morning. looks like quite a crowd; that touring plan may come in handy!

We were so ready to get there! The crowds seemed very intimidating!

 

[TinksThree]

Glad you are back! Sorry to hear you have been so busy.
I LOVE POFQ!
WHOOOOHOOOO! for making Rope Drop. We haven't make it to RD, ever! Can you believe that? That is my wish for us. Hubby is so determined to stay late at the parks the first night we arrive, we are almost continually worn out for the rest of the trip.
I really need to get on the ball and do my next installment of my TR, too.
Cannot wait to read more!

I have been so busy I can't even keep up with the TRs I am following! I have lots of reading to do!

I love Rope Drops! We are more morning people though and usually are done with the parks by 5pm or so. One day I want to do EMH PM at MK just so i can be in the park at 2am!!

Wow, you just blew your plan completely out of the water!

Nice making it to rope drop at the Magic Kingdom.

I love POFQ. I would have to say it's definitely my favorite mod.

Yes my plans for Magic kingdom got a huge bump this day!! POFQ was wonderful! I am still trying to debate POFQ and POR as my preference. They are both so nice!

This day is such a WIN!! I would be as happy as a clam.

(why are clams happy?)

Isn't it like you want to SQUEEZE every little bit of joy out of those rope drop moments?? I've only been to 2 (MK and DHS), and it's great, but that press of people can be a little irritating.

The best thing about it, afterward, is that you get in ALL the RIDES...(sigh). I wanna go right now. Being at work is just not doing it for me.

I was as happy as a clam! I think the reason clams are happy is because ....I don't know! It must be a deep philosophical reason and I am not very philosophical!!

I love trying to fit in tons of rides first and then go back and "see" what we were running past! I could definitely be there right now! I say let's jump on a plane and just go!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

My goodness, you guys were busy as bees. You got so much done so early in the day. Way to go!

 

[SimmerBaggins]

Busy as bees and happy as clams!!

Right after I wrote my reply, my boss walked in... "Yes, ma'am -- much rather be there than here..."(another sigh)

...you know, I really felt like I did just "jump on a plane and go" to see Melissa for the weekend at the World! We went so quickly, though, that there really wasn't time to backtrack and just relax and sight-see -- those can be really 2 different trips: the busy ones when you're pressed for time, and the relaxed ones. Both are great, but if you can do both at the same time, awesome!

 

[TinksThree]

My goodness, you guys were busy as bees. You got so much done so early in the day. Way to go!

We were just buzzing all over the place!! This day was one of my "dream" MK days!!

Busy as bees and happy as clams!! I thought the same thing! Too funny!!

Right after I wrote my reply, my boss walked in... "Yes, ma'am -- much rather be there than here..."(another sigh)

...you know, I really felt like I did just "jump on a plane and go" to see Melissa for the weekend at the World! We went so quickly, though, that there really wasn't time to backtrack and just relax and sight-see -- those can be really 2 different trips: the busy ones when you're pressed for time, and the relaxed ones. Both are great, but if you can do both at the same time, awesome!

Disney sending out these great PINs doesn't help any either!! I got a great pricing e-mail from Southwest and then a great room rate plus military tickets I could book a fantastic trip! If only.....(great big, huge sigh!!)

 

[TinksThree]

So far our morning was pretty successful. We had planned to get to Magic Kingdom by 10am but we made it for the 9am Rope Drop. After we began our way down Main Street we were going to follow this Plan:

Chris to Space Mountain for Fast Passes; my mom, Madison and me to Wiinie-the Pooh and Chris would meet us there; ride Winnie-the-Pooh, Snow White, and It's A Small World, Hall of Presidents, and Swiss Family Robinson plus grabbing Fast Passes for Peter Pan along the way. All of this on The Plan was to be completed by 12:45pm which would lead up to our lunch reservations at 1pm at Crystal Palace.

So how did this all play out? Well we had started off an hour earlier than planned so that is good, right??

We make our way down Main Street minus Chris. We head right of the castle. I stop on the bridge and take this picture every year. I have so many pictures of the castle!!

Then we meet up with Chris. Chris and I break out the water and wait for one of many bathroom breaks. While I guzzle my first bottle of water (at 9am! It was already that warm!) I took a few pictures where we were sitting:

Then we made our way to Fantasyland and Winnie-the-Pooh! This really built up my excitement for what is to come!!!

And then we were at our first destination:

The kids loved this one! LOL

This was a walk-on but I stopped long enough for a few pictures of the queue area. I have not been on this ride in a couple of years since I do not have little ones but it is still fun. Since it had been 12 years since my mom had been to Disney World I was trying to fit in as many rides as possible...including those we do not normally ride.

The queue area:

Within minutes we were boarding our very own Hunny Pot!!!

And Part One of my frustration began!! For some reason my camera was not my friend on darker rides. And I could not figure out the issue! Sometimes it worked great and sometimes not....and all were without a flash!

So not many pictures of Winnie-the-Pooh and even fewer on Snow White's Scary Adventures. Ever since the announcement for the new ride and the changes to this area were made I knew I wanted to ride this one last time. I still miss Mr. Toad's Wild Ride!! So off to Snow White we went! Another walk-on!!

Now Part 2 of my frustration kicks in! My right contact (thanks to allergies that kicked up about this time) got some type of film on it and I felt as if I were looking through wax paper. Not a great way to tour Magic Kingdom and I cannot go without my contacts! So I snap this picture and then head to the nearest restroom to "fix" the issue! Whew! Problem solved....

Surprisingly, Madison went along with this!!

So what is next? We head to It's a Small World but we see Peter Pan has a 10 minute wait. Why waste Fast Passes?? We jump in line!!!

We make our journey over the streets of London and up, up, up and away to Neverland and then we head to It's a Small World. Another walk-on...yes I am honestly telling the absolute truth!!! What is the time?? 9:48am!! Awesome!! I wasn't planning on even getting to the park for 10 more minutes!! Major Pixie Dust!!!

continued in next post....

 

[TinksThree]

My mom adores IASW...Madison hates it....I am okay with it...Chris tolerates it!

At this point it is 10am and I have pretty much covered the Pre-Lunch Touring Plan except for Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse and Hall of Presidents!! We exit and Part 3 of my frustration...my contact...again....

I head to the rest room on the path from IASW to Libertyland. I always seek out this one because it is usually clean. I suppose because it is off of the beaten path!? I go in and work on that blasted contact again. This is not how I wanted to spend Day 1!! I want to see what I am doing!!

I think I finally have whatever is on the thing off and head back out. Time to regroup and decide where to go to next. Plus, will Space Mountain be illusive this entire trip?? Breakdowns STINK!!! And not just Space Mtn!!

 

[mermaid764]

Wow what an awesome first day, I can't believe Peter Pan was only a 10 minute wait.

Hopefully Space was not broken down

 

[lbuzz52]

what a great start so far! sorry about your contact. i know that really stinks!!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Wow, what a great morning! You guys got so many things done in such a short period of time. I love it when the schedule gets blown away.

 

[TinksThree]

Wow what an awesome first day, I can't believe Peter Pan was only a 10 minute wait.

Hopefully Space was not broken down

I couldn't believe the wait at Peter Pan either! Which was why I jumped in line!!

Space was broken down frequesntly this trip....

what a great start so far! sorry about your contact. i know that really stinks!!

I thought the day was proving very promising!! Thankfully I had plenty of contacts (never leave home without them!) but the problem was thankfully solved for that day!

Wow, what a great morning! You guys got so many things done in such a short period of time. I love it when the schedule gets blown away.

I agree!! I never dreamed that the day would turn out so well this early!!

 

[SimmerBaggins]

I seriously have learned that if you get to that park for the opening, you can do about half of the park before noon -- which is awesome! Despite your issue with the contact (sorry), I would say this is a dream-day, so far!

And, for some reason, I do not remember ever seeing that stand-alone Dumbo!

I love how easy-going your family is.