Nine Nights: Filling 2019 with Disney Adventures around the World *New TR Link 7/31

[amazingact21]

So nice you have the option of Shades of Green. Disney hotel prices have gone a little crazy the last few years. I'm hoping for a short Disney trip this year with just my DH. I thought if it was a short stay we could splurge on one of the deluxes but - oh my. We'll probably end up at a moderate. Just not sure I can pulled the trigger on a deluxe. But maybe a great code or percent off will come along. Looking forward to seeing how you work your way thru the planning - going to WDW isn't for wimps!

We wouldn't be able to take trips to Disney nearly as often if it weren't for Shades of Green. Deluxes are just so incredibly expensive. (Our two nights in a standard room at AKL is costing us as much as 5 nights at Shades.)
I'll keep my fingers crossed a code or discount comes around for you. The moderates seem nice, but when you've got your heart set on a deluxe it can be a bit frustrating having to settle.

But good for you both! It'll be wonderful to have some time together, and let the kids have some special time with their grandparents as well.

Couldn't agree more. Alex and I have waited far too long in regards to getting away without the kids. It was one of those things where plans kept falling through and before we knew it Evie was turning 3 and we hadn't been anywhere together. Alex makes it no secret that this is the part of the trip he is most looking forward to.

It may be really lovely with the kids to have time to relax, swim, rest, and still get loads of park time.

I'm hoping since we have the luxury of time we can let the kids have more of say in what we do. If they wake up one morning and ask to go swimming for a few hours, we should be able to say yes since we'll have plenty of time to knock out park Must-Do's later.

This sounds like a lot of fun to me. I am always trying to get DH to go longer then 7 days. DH tries to get me to go like 3 or 4 days. We then settle on 7.

Admittedly, my husband and I are flip flopped. Alex would spend 2 weeks in Orlando if I'd agree to it, but I worry that being there for so long will burn me out. But that might be because my husband is a commando park goer so when he throws out a number like 14, I just imagine two straight weeks of walking under the hot sun. 7 days sounds like the perfect number to me and just the right compromise.

 

[amazingact21]

I am so excited for you and believe me 9 (or even 11) nights is definitely NOT too much disney!

I am hoping it won't be, especially because after this year it'll probably be 3 or 4 years until we return.

Wow! That is an exciting move! I just love England.

England is wonderful. We fought really hard to stay in Europe, and getting England was a dream come true. When I talk about my summer, I tell people, "The fun isn't going to stop for us. First, we get to go back home for a month, and then we get to go live out our dream by settling into England."

It is a pretty big deal to leave your littles, even with people who you know love them more than anything.

I'll admit, Alex and I are way past due for this. We've both been away from the kids separately, but we have never taken a trip together without them before. Definitely time to change that, and my mom is over the moon excited about getting one on one time with her grandkids.

Love AKL.....such a great resort!

Isn't it beautiful? I could spend a long weekend there and not need any park time.

Following along!

Thanks for joining in!

 

[piglet1979]

Admittedly, my husband and I are flip flopped. Alex would spend 2 weeks in Orlando if I'd agree to it, but I worry that being there for so long will burn me out. But that might be because my husband is a commando park goer so when he throws out a number like 14, I just imagine two straight weeks of walking under the hot sun. 7 days sounds like the perfect number to me and just the right compromise.

I am so the one in our family that could and would be the one to be a commando park goer. I made the family do it for our first 2 trips. My DS would be right there with me too. DH and DD not so much and I have had to learn to slow down if I ever want to go back. I am slowly learning. 2 trips ago I agreed (not happily) to have a break in the middle of the day. I made the breaks maybe an hour or 2. This was not enough. So the last trip we stayed int he parks until about 11 and then went back to the hotel until about 5. This worked well. DD got her pool time and DH got to rest.

 

[Cloe Colton]

Joining in!! How exciting to have such a big trip planned. I think its a great idea to split up the trip into "welcome all" and please respect our family time. Gives everyone the best of both worlds!

I know PTR tend to be boring but honestly they are just so helpful when it comes to planning, plus its fun to go back and see just how many times you changed your mind!!

In terms of organization I would suggest a speadsheet as well, it makes it so much easier to keep track of everything if its all in one place!

 

[Dentam]

We went to WDW for 10 nights last month. I will say that I think I was good to go after 7 nights. But, a lot of that was due to the pace being a bit more "commando" than what I prefer and I had injured my foot prior to the trip... not good! One evening it was visibly swollen and I was in quite a bit of pain.

So, I'd say that if you could have some days where you just relax by the pool and have a nice meal to break up the go, go, go park days then a longer trip will be much more enjoyable!

 

[amazingact21]

I am slowly learning. 2 trips ago I agreed (not happily) to have a break in the middle of the day. I made the breaks maybe an hour or 2. This was not enough. So the last trip we stayed int he parks until about 11 and then went back to the hotel until about 5. This worked well. DD got her pool time and DH got to rest.

11 to 5 is a pretty big chunk of the day; I'm surprised that wasn't too much for you, but I guess if it made the rest of your party happy than it was worth the missed park hours. Did you make your Fastpasses for first thing in the morning or in the evening? I might have to step back and extend some of our breaks, and I guess if I did that then we would avoid all the midday crowds.

How exciting to have such a big trip planned. I think its a great idea to split up the trip into "welcome all" and please respect our family time. Gives everyone the best of both worlds!

I know PTR tend to be boring but honestly they are just so helpful when it comes to planning, plus its fun to go back and see just how many times you changed your mind!!

In terms of organization I would suggest a speadsheet as well, it makes it so much easier to keep track of everything if its all in one place!

Because my mom likes to visit Disney and Alex's brother gets free tickets through his job, Alex feels like we never get to go to Disney "just us." I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by saying they weren't invited, so I figured the easiest solution was to create extended family time and just us 4 family time. We'll see how it works out.

I have a massive spreadsheet created for our summer trip, but I think I need to go back and organize it more. It's a little chaotic looking at the moment. However, spreadsheet became a game changer for me when we got OneDrive. I have our trip plans saved on that and can access it through all my laptops and Ipads. It's glorious!

We went to WDW for 10 nights last month. I will say that I think I was good to go after 7 nights. But, a lot of that was due to the pace being a bit more "commando" than what I prefer and I had injured my foot prior to the trip... not good! One evening it was visibly swollen and I was in quite a bit of pain.

So, I'd say that if you could have some days where you just relax by the pool and have a nice meal to break up the go, go, go park days then a longer trip will be much more enjoyable!

See, 7 nights is the number that's sticking in my head, too. But I'm trying to remind myself that there will potentially be a lot of people vying for things they want to do, and I think I'm forgetting how slow my kids can make park touring. If it were just Alex and myself, 7 nights would be my max. But with kids and older relatives, I am trying to tell myself 9 nights will allow for pool time and slower paces.

And oh dear about the hurt foot! I can't imagine trying to tackle Disney with mobility issues. There's so much walking involved and the weather works against you at every turn. Did you have to use a scooter or wheelchair at any point?

 

[piglet1979]

11 to 5 is a pretty big chunk of the day; I'm surprised that wasn't too much for you, but I guess if it made the rest of your party happy than it was worth the missed park hours. Did you make your Fastpasses for first thing in the morning or in the evening? I might have to step back and extend some of our breaks, and I guess if I did that then we would avoid all the midday crowds.

We made the Fastpasses for the morning time and would add more for the afternoon as we could. We also used Touring Plans for a schedule for the day. We never really stood inline much (though I think that will change with Star Wars land). We didn't follow it perfectly but it helped with the bigger rides. We make a plan before we go and each of us picks the one ride in each park that we really want to ride and we make sure those get done. Though in the past we have been able to get almost all the rides at the park in. Our last full day we don't plan much and use it as a day to go to what ever we missed. The last trip DH and DS went to DHS at rope drop to ride RnR and I think they snuck in a ride on ToT while DD just wanted to sleep in and then get the hair wrap thing done at the resort. We do go to the pool during the mid part of the day. The kids were old enough that we did not need to be in the pool on there own so we rested on the side of the pool and watched them. I napped and DH read a book and kept an eye on them. We were at POR and there pool as a lot of shade by the chairs.

 

[Cloe Colton]

Because my mom likes to visit Disney and Alex's brother gets free tickets through his job, Alex feels like we never get to go to Disney "just us." I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by saying they weren't invited, so I figured the easiest solution was to create extended family time and just us 4 family time. We'll see how it works out.

I have a massive spreadsheet created for our summer trip, but I think I need to go back and organize it more. It's a little chaotic looking at the moment. However, spreadsheet became a game changer for me when we got OneDrive. I have our trip plans saved on that and can access it through all my laptops and Ipads. It's glorious!

Believe me I totally get it! I have a couple of family members in Florida that moved there a few years ago and they get homesick and want to see us anytime we are in Florida. And while its nice to see them you do feel like you need to alter your plans or accomodate them since they came out to see you. Its tough!!

Spreadsheets are amazing!

 

[Dentam]

And oh dear about the hurt foot! I can't imagine trying to tackle Disney with mobility issues. There's so much walking involved and the weather works against you at every turn. Did you have to use a scooter or wheelchair at any point?

Yes, my mom needed a wheelchair some days since she has foot issues that have been ongoing for years so we switched off sitting in it when my foot really started to act up. It was definitely painful and still isn't back to normal. I may need to go see a doctor about it soon.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I really don’t think you need to worry about 9 nights being too much disney time.
Because we travel so far to get there, 9 hrs direct, but often via London so that adds an extra night beforehand and a hideous couple of hours layover on the way home, and because the cost is so expensive, we always go for a minimum of 14 nights and once a heavenly 17 nights!
Believe me when I say it is wonderful
You will slow down naturally as there is not the same rush/need to squeeze everything in plus we take the odd non-park day Some of us (ehem that would be me ) may have wandered into Epcot or possibly, accidentally of course, ended up in a bus to MK with the youngest son while other, less-disney inclined family members relaxed back at the resort. I’m not a shopper but we usually visit DS of an evening and dander about the stores before having dinner somewhere and possibly a movie. My kids love the cinema there mainly because of the treats and the ability to add melted butter and salt to your popcorn ( unheard of here)
Simple pleasures
Plus it’s like you are combining 2 holidays into 1 with the extended family trip at the start so it will be nice to do what suits just you guys at the end of that trip. Trust me you will love it before all the craziness of moving into your new home and beginning the new school year

 

[Steppesister]

Subbing in....

WOW, Lady, you have LOADS of fun times coming up!!

 

[cindianne320]

I KNOW- so sad I will miss you in May- BUT when are you coming to MN?! I think I remember seeing you tell Dugette you'd message her dates- maybe we can all meet up!
(Unless of course I'm in England- but I'm starting to think that is not going to happen. )

 

[amazingact21]

e never really stood inline much (though I think that will change with Star Wars land). We didn't follow it perfectly but it helped with the bigger rides. We make a plan before we go and each of us picks the one ride in each park that we really want to ride and we make sure those get done. Though in the past we have been able to get almost all the rides at the park in. Our last full day we don't plan much and use it as a day to go to what ever we missed. The last trip DH and DS went to DHS at rope drop to ride RnR and I think they snuck in a ride on ToT while DD just wanted to sleep in and then get the hair wrap thing done at the resort. We do go to the pool during the mid part of the day. The kids were old enough that we did not need to be in the pool on there own so we rested on the side of the pool and watched them. I napped and DH read a book and kept an eye on them. We were at POR and there pool as a lot of shade by the chairs.

That sounds like the same system I was going to try and utilize this trip. Having the kids still young, rides take a little longer than they used since we have to go through Rider Swaps, but I'm hoping we can still knock out everybody's "Must Do" in the morning.

Believe me I totally get it! I have a couple of family members in Florida that moved there a few years ago and they get homesick and want to see us anytime we are in Florida. And while its nice to see them you do feel like you need to alter your plans or accomodate them since they came out to see you. Its tough!!

Spreadsheets are amazing!

Glad I'm not the only one who has to juggle family visits and vacation time. A few years ago, Alex and I made a deal with each other that we would make sure the kids got a "vacation" and not just a "trip home." It has made more than one family member angry, but our core unit's time together in the parks is too important for us to miss.

Yes, my mom needed a wheelchair some days since she has foot issues that have been ongoing for years so we switched off sitting in it when my foot really started to act up. It was definitely painful and still isn't back to normal. I may need to go see a doctor about it soon.

Oh no. Yeah, you might want to get that checked out, especially before you head to Europe! There's a lot of hills and walking over here.

 

[amazingact21]

I really don’t think you need to worry about 9 nights being too much disney time.
Because we travel so far to get there, 9 hrs direct, but often via London so that adds an extra night beforehand and a hideous couple of hours layover on the way home, and because the cost is so expensive, we always go for a minimum of 14 nights and once a heavenly 17 nights!
Believe me when I say it is wonderful

It does make a lot of sense to go for your money's worth when you have to travel so far. Not to mention, we usually start and end our trip with family, but if we were to go straight to Disney we would have to account for adjusting to the time change. It always take several days once we get to the states. (I feel like coming back to Europe is a little easier, because we arrive in the morning. So if I can hold off sleeping until nighttime then I can go to bed and wake up the following morning on a normal schedule again.)

17 nights, though! Wow! That had to be amazing. There's so much freedom in getting to decide what you want to do with that much time. Want to ride Dumbo again? Sure. Want to watch the parade? Why not.

All right, that makes me feel better about my 9 nights. I am sure once I'm there it won't feel like long at all.

You will slow down naturally as there is not the same rush/need to squeeze everything in plus we take the odd non-park day Some of us (ehem that would be me ) may have wandered into Epcot or possibly, accidentally of course, ended up in a bus to MK with the youngest son while other, less-disney inclined family members relaxed back at the resort.

Hahaha, I love this story!
Sounds like something Landon would do with one of my family members. "I don't know how we ended up headed to the MK, Mom."

My kids love the cinema there mainly because of the treats and the ability to add melted butter and salt to your popcorn ( unheard of here)
Simple pleasures

Really? Interesting, I did not know this.

Subbing in....

WOW, Lady, you have LOADS of fun times coming up!!

Thanks for hopping over here. I am a little intimidated about all we have planned, but I'm looking forward to having Alex off work for a whole months and for having the luxury of time with this Disney trip. It'll be the longest we have ever gone to Disney before, so that in itself is a "new" experience.

I KNOW- so sad I will miss you in May- BUT when are you coming to MN?! I think I remember seeing you tell Dugette you'd message her dates- maybe we can all meet up!
(Unless of course I'm in England- but I'm starting to think that is not going to happen. )

Yes! I still need to message you both. Every time I think of it, it's daytime for me and middle of the night for you guys, and I don't want to accidentally wake you. But I will write down to send you my dates later this evening.

Wait, what?! What's happening with the London trip? Schedules not alligning? Change in travel plans? I really do hope it works out; I know how much you were looking forward to the adventure!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Just to clarify-you can get popcorn here at the movies and you get a choice of salted or sweet but it’s pre-done for you. You can’t get the melted butter to drizzle all over your corn which is what my kids love

 

[amazingact21]

Just to clarify-you can get popcorn here at the movies and you get a choice of salted or sweet but it’s pre-done for you. You can’t get the melted butter to drizzle all over your corn which is what my kids love

Ahhh, I see. Ironically, the melted butter is what I don't like about movie theater popcorn.

 

[amazingact21]

Our Kid-Free Disney Plans:


Our Walt Disney World party has to begin with me saying goodbye to the kids and a 6 hour drive to property. The drive sounds like it’ll be the harder of the two but knowing me, getting out the door is going to be the biggest challenge. I want this couple’s getaway almost as much as Alex, and I know I’ll have an amazing time once I’m there…it’s just getting past that initial parting that’s going to prove a challenge.



Alex has deployed, gone on work trips, and worked past the kids’ bedtime. I am pretty sure if I added up all the time he has been away it would add up to almost two years of Landon’s life. eek So leaving them is old news. He never likes doing it, of course, but it’s a necessity he has learned to handle.

Me, though?

I’ve been away 28 hours.




Sad, I know.

Well, Landon has spent a couple Friday nights to Sunday afternoons at my mom’s house but that was back when Evie was a newborn, so I always had her by my side. We moved to Germany when she was six months old, so that first year she was too young for me to leave her. Then the following year, Alex was deployed.

And last year, due to family emergencies and weddings, we never had the opportunity to escape for a long weekend.

It was supposed to happen this past fall; my mom was going to come over and I was going to take her to Rome for three nights. But then my sister in-law needed her to help with a new baby so that trip had to get scrapped.

Then! Up until a few weeks ago, I was going to go to Scotland for 4 days with two friends. We were supposed to be celebrating before I moved away, but then an unfortunate situation arose and one of the friends had to go back to the states.

The universe is bound and determined to keep me at home with the kids. No less than 3 “mom vacations” have been thwarted, and I have almost accepted that it’s never going to happen for me.


So when I say getting out the door is the biggest feat, I am not exaggerating. There’s a large part of me that believes something is going to pop up and change these plans.

I’ll believe it when we see Mickey waving to us from the big welcome sign at the entrance to property.



But let’s go with the hypothetical and say our big Kid-Free Trip does, in fact, occur. Alex and I will be welcomed by the beautiful Animal Kingdom Lodge:




As we check in to our room and get settled, I am sure I’ll be thinking about the first time I laid eyes on the resort:


[This is from our 2013 trip. Six years and two kids can really age a couple.]



We’ll both admire the beauty that lies in every corner of the resort:




Marvel at how empty the room feels without stuffed toys scattered amongst the floor, walk around until I spot some giraffes, and then Alex will boundless end up browsing the gift shop:




My goal for the next few days is to try and accomplish all of Alex’s favorites. I know he really needs this time for just us two, and I want to make it as special as possible. So everything I have planned is geared towards my husband and his interests.

(With the exception of Animal Kingdom Lodge. That is all me. Alex would have been happy in a value, and if he had to stay in a deluxe it would’ve been the Contemporary.)


With those parameters in mind, I knew our arrival day destination had to be Disney Springs.

Alex loves to look through the Disney shops…like loves it more than you would ever imagine. It used to be a running joke in my old trip reports. The man wants to see every odd and end for sale in every shop in every park.

With kids, this hobby has pretty much ended. We’ve become a GET IN, GET WHAT WE NEED, GET OUT couple. The more you dawdle, the more risk you run of a kid knocking something off a shelf or having a meltdown over an unbought item.

I’d rather run outside in the snow and ice than take either of my kids into a Disney gift shop.


Disney Springs has always been our first stop on a Disney vacation, and I wanted to keep that tradition alive by spending the evening of our first night there.

We will activate our tickets and then look through whatever stores appeal to Alex.


I booked us a late dinner at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’:

[Google image]


Everyone swears by the fried chicken, and even though I am a crazy person and hate that dish, I’ll probably split an order with Alex because he likes the food.

Rumors are one entrée is more than enough for two people, so that’s what I’m hoping to do at the restaurant. That way if we want to split a dessert at Erin McKenna’s Bakery or at Amorette’s we can.


Ideally, Alex and I will be able to stop by here for a quick drink:

[Also from Google]

But it’s not an absolute must. Alex doesn't drink, but I think this is one of the few bars on property he would be willing to go inside and check out while I enjoy an adult beverage.


Disney Springs is the only thing I have on our agenda, because I don’t know how tired we will be from the drive and don’t want to plan too much. I want to use this day to relax and get acclimated to our new, kid-free touring style.




Day 2

The following day – our only full park day – is going to be left up in the air. I want us to be able to sleep in (a foreign concept with Mr. 5 a.m. Wake Up Landon ) if we want or to hang out around the resort if that’s our wish.


I really hope I can snag Fastpasses for Flight of Passage, but I think regardless of whether or not I do, we will still end up in Pandora.



Alex says he doesn’t care how long the wait is for the attraction, he’s willing to stand in line to experience it.

Eh...that’s not my mindset, so I have a feeling that if I can’t get passes then I’ll have us up and out of the room well before rope drop to get in line.



I’d like for us to also ride Rock N Roller Coaster together:


But again, not a requirement.


My main focus on today will be riding as many coasters as we feel like, since that’s one of the biggest things we have had to give up since bringing the kids to Disney. Ever since Landon was born, Alex and I haven’t gotten to ride the height requirement attractions together. We’ve had to Rider Swap everything, thus taking away that experience of laughing and throwing our hands up together.

I miss those times.


For dinner, I snagged us a reservation at:

[Courtesy of Google]


Alex has been wanting to eat here for years. We actually had a reservation for this restaurant in 2016, but that was the trip the stomach bug swept through our family and ruined all our plans. So I am looking forward to finally getting to try a restaurant that has been on our To-Do list for years, and it’ll be our first signature dining experience!




Afterwards, we’ll wander around the World Showcase (where Alex will probably go into all the shops) and stay to watch IllumiNations:



I am not a huge IllumiNations fan; I love the soundtrack and listen to it a lot at home (ironically, it’s playing right now) but Alex does loves the show. He’s very sad it’s going away, so seeing it one last time was a must for us.

On our first trip together, we ended our first night of the trip watching IllumiNations; I think it’ll be fun to sort of reenact that time together.



The Disney fun will be over after that point. We will check out of Animal Kingdom Lodge the following morning and catch our flight to Minnesota. I haven’t booked our plane tickets yet, but I have my eye on a specific flight, and it has us leaving fairly early in the morning. As tempting as it would be to catch a late flight and go to the parks in the morning, I want to make sure I get plenty of time to visit family. By leaving early I’m ensuring the afternoon and evening with my sister in-law, which seemed like the smartest route to take.


All right, how does my kid free plans sound? Anyone have any suggestions on must do’s that I missed? Food items I should try at Le Cellier? Drink I should order at The Edison? I'm all ears!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Oh I think your kid free plans sound wonderful!
Totally agree that the moment of parting will be the hardest bit of the journey but once you’ve done that I reckon you’ll savour your new found freedom! Can’t speak from experience exactly as my youngest is 12 and I have had exactly 1 night away from him! He has been on a 2 night trip without me but that’s it so I totally get that you’ll find getting out the door tough! I’m sure Landon and Evie will have a blast with Nana so you can rest easy!
Too funny btw that it’s the buttery sauce you don’t like in your popcorn
Can’t help with the Edison but I absolutely love the creme brûlée in Le Cellier The steaks are gorgeous too but that pretzel bread and the creme brûlée all ensure my meal starts and ends on a tasty note!

 

[rdkeim]

Your plans sound great! I predict once you leave the kids and get down the road a bit, the excitement will really set in. If it was me, I would eat somewhat lightly so I had room for some wonderful Disney snacks! Dole whip, carrot cake cookie, something from Karamel Kuche.....I also like school bread but I know some do not.

 

[Cloe Colton]

The plans sound great!!! Homecoming will definitely be delicious. I'm not sure if just one entree alone would be filling enough, maybe pair that with an app? DH and I ordered two entrees and an app and would have preferred just one entree and the app. Unless you have plans to go super crazy on desserts! haha

The Edison is definitely a fun bar to check out! Just keep in mind the entertainment only runs I think Thursday - Saturday now but its still cool just to pop in and see how the restaurant looks!

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you for a FOP FP! I feel like that would be nice to experience together!

Le Cellier is so good too! I think your one day park plans sound great!