I enjoyed your pre-trip report! My planning process is similar to yours. Must do's, maybes, possibly drop these and skipping these...it's neat to see how we can create trip that fit our families needs and preferences. Some thoughts...
Thank you! I love going in with a plan, knowing what we'll be most disappointed if we miss, and then being as flexible as I can be because I've learned by now that we're never able to stick to a plan exactly.
The Gideon's line is brutal, imo. Perhaps on your sleep-in/pool day an adult or two could head to Disney Springs first thing and pick up goodies for the whole crew? I find the morning line, close to opening much easier.
That is a good idea! If the VQ isn't running our DS evening, we could go back on our rest day.
We're also on the dining plan. We've had great experiences on
DDP in the past and have actually missed it on our last few trips. Some snack credit ideas: Mini Mickey cakes at Amorette's in Disney Springs. A pack of four cookies from the Riviera QS, which is one of my favorite Resort QS locations. Blue or Green milk in SWGE. Milkshake from D-Luxe in DS.
Thank you! It's been so fun to think about options for those snack credits. My youngest (now DD7) even wrote a page at school about how she will get one snack at Disney per day, anything she wants, and will share with her mom
I think the kids are just as excited!
AoA seems to have some pretty good activities according to the guide posted here
https://www.magicalresortguide.com/art-of-animation-homepage. Depending on which day of the week is your rest day, the girls could make a craft, the dye, or join the dance class.
Yes! I've been looking at which activities might fit into our schedule, the girls would love the crafts.
I'm to a fan of the MK QS locations for reasons you mentioned. Menus have changed and my favs are no more. We're going to to Contempo Cafe instead. I know there's lost time for walking so far, but I also know we will enjoy our meal so much more. Plus optional monorail joyride loop after we eat.
I'm now thinking I might try to convince my family to go to the Grand Floridian for lunch. I would love to see the Easter eggs and the food options look much better. We will see how we're feeling and if they're willing to leave the park.
It is alot, I try to not carry to much anymore... Not having a stroller means back pack city... And it's alot.
So I was silly and bought my first (used)
Loungefly for this trip. It's so cute! My MIL offered to carry her larger backpack so I thought I could make the Loungefly work. But then we started thinking about how much we'll need to carry for the 5 of us (my mom will carry her own bag for her and my dad) - sweatshirt layer for mornings/evenings, rain ponchos, autograph books, pins, sunblock, portable charger, activity books for girls for lines/meals, what else am I missing? And realized 5 sweatshirts + 5 rain ponchos alone probably won't fit in 1 backpack + 1 Loungefly. So now I'm thinking I might need to carry a full size backpack too to fit it all in.
I think they used to be more flexible, but from what I’ve read you’ll be limited to the number of people you have credits for (four per order). I also don’t know if they’ll be as flexible about ordering more than two adult meals at a time - it seems they’re more particular about making sure you order kids meals with kids credits? I’m sure you can make something work out!
That would be a bummer! The way it works, you could need to use 8 QS credits in 1 day at times (or more toward the end of the trip), so I'm hoping the system is pretty flexible, but I can't find details on how that would work. If we have to break into different orders that wouldn't be so bad, I just hope there isn't a minimum wait time between using the credits.
Thank you for your feedback! I think that’s the way I’m leaning, but the pull of Tower of Terror and spending time in Galaxy’s Edge at night is STRONG.
There is no bad option there
I wish you could do both!
I’m so sorry to hear this! The illness itself is no picnic but the lasting effects are the biggest bummer. I hope you’re able to rest up as much as possible so your body recovers in time for your trip. So many healthy vibes your way!
I am thrilled to hear your family has stayed healthy. My husband caught COVID back in January and my girls and I didn’t catch it - this was 100% due to his diligence of staying isolated for five days (in our guest bedroom/bathroom) and then masking for an additional five days. I don’t know that I could’ve done that as well as he did - isolation and nearly round-the-clock masking (he had to mask up at work too as he’s in healthcare) is tough!
I'm a little nervous about work this week, I don't think I will get much rest leading up to vacation (and now I'm catching up after taking 2 days off last week)
But will see how I'm doing. I spend most of my days talking (I'm HR) and I can't talk much right now without getting winded, so this will be interesting. Covid is so weird. I thought I had a normal head cold until my symptoms were getting worse, not better and I tested on Day 4. I kept my distance from my family while I was sick (especially since my parents were visiting and they are over 65) but I didn't start wearing a mask until I realized it was Covid. I can't believe no one else has caught it!
Would you believe that my daughter is VERY excited about both of these attractions?! She’s quite reluctant about Haunted Mansion (but willing to try it once) and will absolutely not consider BTMRR, but she is PUMPED to ride Dinosaur.
She’s also excited about ITTBAB as we’ve watched the attraction and I’ve told her about all the surprises - she’s very excited to see her dad jump when the “bugs” leave the theatre first.
Your daughter is braver than I am!! I think Bug's Life is the scariest ride at Disney.
Do you have TSA Pre-Check? If you do, I think three hours (or even 2.5) should be fine. If not, I’d maybe give yourself a bit more time as security lines at MCO are nuts even when it’s not a busy time. (Also, if you don’t have Pre-Check I HIGHLY recommend it - your girls get it automatically until age 13 if they’re on your reservation so you’d only need it for you and Pat. Also, many credit cards will reimburse the fee!)
We do not, and we were just talking about that. We're kicking ourselves for not getting it back when we lived near an airport. If I wasn't sick this weekend, it might have even made sense to make a road trip to an airport just for that! We may need to leave even earlier to make sure we have a full 3 hours at the airport before our flight departs.
