Spring Break 2024 / 5 adults + 2 kids

[jgl130]

I wondered how many tapas you could order for two credits?

Back in 2019 I did the dining plan and used two credits at Jaleo. Back then you were able to do a tasting menu with 9 courses. I added on (for a slight upcharge) a couple other things I wanted to try namely the jambon Iberico cut table side.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Do you think it's easy to take food from Woody's Lunch Box to the theater to eat?

I think so!

Disney Springs: Jaleo; we had such a great meal there on our last trip, we can’t wait to go back again. And of course, we’ll try to get some Gideon’s cookies (and cake?) while we’re there.

I do want to try this one day!

Connections Café

Are you are beyond meat or a impossible meat person? Gwen is all the way Beyond Meet and I noticed last time we were there, they had a Beyond Burger.

O’hana – We’ve never been! I can’t wait to try the noodles.

We haven't been back since Covid. I was debating on doing this for our trip. But DH was kind of meh. But we will be back one day. I hope you like it.

1 – TBD @ MK (recommendations for a good vegetarian option besides Cosmic Ray’s? Should we leave for a monorail resort QS??)

MK for counter service is so not good even if you aren't vegetarian. I don't think we have go to counter service anymore.

1 – Sci Fi Dine-In Fantasmic Package
1 – Topolino’s
1 – ‘Ohana
1 – Round-up Rodeo BBQ
1 – Boma
2 – Story Book Dining with Snow White

These are all excellent use of the dinning plan. At least it seems like they are.

8 Snack credits: We might use more at Epcot for the F&G Festival, but otherwise will plan to use 1 credit each per day in the park. What are your favorite snacks to get when on the dining plan?

Man! It's been so long since we used the dinning plan... And I know there was a few snacks that were good uses of the snacks but I can't remember them now! Food booths are probably good ones.

I did like taking snacks home with the extra snack credits. It felt like they were free. I KNOW they weren't but it was fun to go gang busters in the store before leaving. Stupid i know...

 

[jrmint427]

Back in 2019 I did the dining plan and used two credits at Jaleo. Back then you were able to do a tasting menu with 9 courses. I added on (for a slight upcharge) a couple other things I wanted to try namely the jambon Iberico cut table side.

Thank you!! That's good to know. I wonder if it would be worth it as a vegetarian. We ordered almost all veggie items last time except for one. It would be fun to do a full tasting menu some day.

I do want to try this one day!

Jaleo was so good! I hope we like it as much the second time around.

Are you are beyond meat or a impossible meat person? Gwen is all the way Beyond Meet and I noticed last time we were there, they had a Beyond Burger.

I love both Beyond and Impossible! At home I like Beyond products a little better, I will keep that in mind, I love Beyond bugers.

MK for counter service is so not good even if you aren't vegetarian. I don't think we have go to counter service anymore.

MK QS is so disappointing! I thought about making a reservation at Steakhouse71 but we decided we don't want to lose so much park time for that. We know Disney can make such good food, I'm surprised at the lack of good options in MK these days.

These are all excellent use of the dinning plan. At least it seems like they are.

Thank you! I'm excited to try 3 favorites and 3 new to us places.

I did like taking snacks home with the extra snack credits. It felt like they were free. I KNOW they weren't but it was fun to go gang busters in the store before leaving. Stupid i know...

I know! It wasn't a great use of the leftover credits but at least we were getting SOMETHING when we couldn't use all of our credits. I'm so worried about credits going to waste this time around. But, it's only 1 snack per person per day this time instead of 2, so that will help.

 

[jrmint427]

Daily Plans
I'll post what we're thinking about for each day of our trip, I appreciate any and all input! I was so excited to see the Flower & Garden Festival food booths posted today, I almost cancelled one of our HS or MK days to make room for a second day at Epcot. I'm having major FOMO that we won't be able to eat, see and do everything we want with only one day at Epcot, but I also don't want to give up the 2nd days at HS or MK (especially since we have ADRs already booked). I hope we don't regret only have one day at Epcot!

Day 1 - Travel / Arrival Day

This will be the first time we’re flying to Disney since 2017! We moved across the country last summer and now live several hours from the closest major airport. We have an early morning flight so we’re going to make the drive and stay near the airport the night before.

We’ll land a little before lunch time, so our plan is to go to the resort, drop our luggage, and eat lunch at Landscape of Flavors, the QS option at Art of Animation, where we’ll also pick up our refillable mugs. I'll either try the Korean-style Impossible Burger or the Greek Salad with Red Pepper Hummus. Has anyone tried either of those? I'm eyeing the Nemo Cheesecake as a fun treat for the kids too.

We’re hoping to have time for a short swim that afternoon if the weather is nice. If it’s not, the girls can play on the playground, or we might just walk around and explore the resort. We’ll likely need to pack our swimsuits in our carry-on luggage. Does anyone know if there is a good place to change into swimsuits before we get our rooms?

I hope we can get into our rooms right at 3:00pm, as we’d like to leave for Disney Springs by 3:30-4pm this day. Our goal is to get there early to get in line for Gideon’s Bakehouse. I hope they’ll have the virtual queue running, but not too optimistic after seeing recent trip reports. We’ll have dinner at Jaleo and then hopefully call it an early night!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

MK QS is so disappointing! I thought about making a reservation at Steakhouse71 but we decided we don't want to lose so much park time for that. We know Disney can make such good food, I'm surprised at the lack of good options in MK these days.

So when we left to do Steakhouse 71, it was nice but we kind of left the park mode and were ready to rest. No one wanted to go back. So it was nice but it killed our motivation to go back.

Also, a hot take but... Steakhouse 71 was just ok for us. it wasn't bad but I think everyone hipped it up so much that I had too high of expectaions. If that makes sense.

I know! It wasn't a great use of the leftover credits but at least we were getting SOMETHING when we couldn't use all of our credits. I'm so worried about credits going to waste this time around. But, it's only 1 snack per person per day this time instead of 2, so that will help.

I wonder if the trading in credit thing will stay or if it will become an unofficial thing. I do remember that I would go down to the quick service each morning and get a bounty platter breakfast for us all to pick at in the room while getting ready. (We aren't big breakfast eaters)

I was so excited to see the Flower & Garden Festival food booths posted today, I

So was I!!!!! Looks like the "trail" this year is plant based!!

I'll either try the Korean-style Impossible Burger or the Greek Salad with Red Pepper Hummus. Has anyone tried either of those?

The burger sounds good!

we might just walk around and explore the resort.

AoA is a great resort to just expolore! And might be a good thing to do before you kill your feet walking in the parks.

Does anyone know if there is a good place to change into swimsuits before we get our rooms?

There has to be a bathroom with changing stalls. I "think" every resort has them. I have only used the ones in moderates or deluxes but I find it hard to believe that AoA wouldn't also.

Our goal is to get there early to get in line for Gideon’s Bakehouse. I hope they’ll have the virtual queue running, but not too optimistic after seeing recent trip reports.

What are the recent tr saying? Long lines!?! I have to prepare Morgan for this!!!

 

[jrmint427]

So when we left to do Steakhouse 71, it was nice but we kind of left the park mode and were ready to rest. No one wanted to go back. So it was nice but it killed our motivation to go back.

Also, a hot take but... Steakhouse 71 was just ok for us. it wasn't bad but I think everyone hipped it up so much that I had too high of expectaions. If that makes sense.

I can definitely understand that - once you're out of the park, and seated in A/C, it might be hard to get the motivation to go back! We did Steakhouse 71 on our last trip and I think the rest of my family agreed (a bit over-hyped on the burgers), but I've been dreaming about the vegetable wellington meal I had there, it was SO good. But probably not worth it since it would mean leaving MK and going back right after.

I wonder if the trading in credit thing will stay or if it will become an unofficial thing. I do remember that I would go down to the quick service each morning and get a bounty platter breakfast for us all to pick at in the room while getting ready. (We aren't big breakfast eaters)

I've read they're no longer allowing QS to be traded in for 3 snacks this year I wonder if it will be allowed at some point. That's a great idea to use one credit for a shared breakfast. We're planning to buy granola bars with a grocery order to have for a quick breakfast on the go for anyone who can't wait for our first snack or breakfast in the parks. It's hard to balance the go-go-go of rope drop with also make sure everyone has their coffee and a good breakfast!

So was I!!!!! Looks like the "trail" this year is plant based!!

I saw that, and each item looks like something I would enjoy! I'm thinking about trying it, but that might be a lot of food for one day at Epcot, on top of a QS and TS meal credit... and I think the prize is just more food??

What are the recent tr saying? Long lines!?! I have to prepare Morgan for this!!!

I've seen a few TRs now saying that they went late afternoon/early evening and the virtual queue was not running... with lines 1 hour+... as good as the cookies are, I won't be waiting in a line for more than an hour for them. I'm hoping with being there during Spring Break, they'll have the VQ running.

 

[jrmint427]

Day Two – Epcot

Coffee / Morning Plans: Early entry starts at 8:30am this day. We are planning to leave our room at 7:15am because I read that the Skyliner doesn’t start running until 7:30am (one hour before early entry). While I’ve read the line may be really long by the time we get there, I’ve also read it moves fairly quickly, and I’m not sure how much we gain by being first in line for the Skyliner, compared to the additional loss of sleep. Some blogs make it sound like it matters a lot, others make it sound like we should be just fine. Has anyone who stayed at AoA rope dropped from there, and if so, how early did you line up? How did that work out?

We will have to get coffee in our room, unless we want to make the detour to get coffee in our mugs at Landscape of Flavors, I think. That will probably depend in part on how far from the lobby area our room is. We’ll likely make do with room coffee until we ride our first 1-2 rides. 4 of the 5 adults are heavy coffee drinkers, so wish us luck!

7am LL: Living with the Land. I know this might be a terrible strategy, but we’re hoping to ride Remy & Frozen at rope drop, get coffee/breakfast at either the Norway bakery or Starbucks, and then hopefully we’ll have an early morning LL for Living with the Land so we can book another LL after tapping in. Where should we grab breakfast if we’re going from Frozen Ever After to Living with the Land?



ILL: My strategy is to try for the Guardians VQ first, and to only book the ILL if we don’t get VQ. Is there a significant benefit to booking the ILL over the VQ that I might be missing?

Rope Drop Plans: We’re planning to ride Remy first since we’ll be entering via the International Gateway, and then book it over to Norway for FEA. I’ve been reading a lot of blogs that attempt this strategy and it sounds like we might be cutting it close if we’re not first in line for the Skyliner / first in line to enter the park, but we’re hopeful we can ride Remy and still make it to Norway before non-resort park guests are let in. Then our next stop is coffee & breakfast!

LL Priorities: FEA (so we can ride twice), Soarin’, Spaceship Earth

Lunch: Most likely La Cantina de San Angel. With the margaritas, it looks like a good use of our QS dining credits. I'm hoping to get an Avocado margarita inside and will let one of our parents have my margarita with the meal if we eat there. But maybe Sunshine Seasons or Connections Café depending on where we are in the park when we get hungry. I also thought about eating around the world with the F&G festival, but we’ll have 4 unused QS credits if we do that. I’m so conflicted though, because I think we’ll want to try a lot of food around the world, and then we probably won’t be hungry for dinner. I'll do a separate post for our plans for the F&G Food booths!

Afternoon Break: Lunch at a QS will probably be our “break”… we have a busy day to fit in all the rides, characters, and food! This is our first day, so we should be a little fresher for all the walking required at Epcot.

Dinner: Rose & Crown, which will be new for us. It looks like heavy food and I’m so worried that we won’t be hungry. But maybe some of the adults will share meals since we’ll have 2 adult credits to use here.

Must Dos:
Remy
Frozen Ever After
Guardians
Soarin’
Living with the Land
The Seas with Nemo and Friends
Turtle Talk with Crush (one of my favorite shows!)
Spaceship Earth
Flower & Garden Festival – topiaries and food booths
Moana Journey of Water
Club Cool (the girls have never tried it)
Avocado Margarita in Mexico
Luminous

Do you think we’ll make it to all our “must dos”?!

Nice to Dos:
Characters – the girls would like to prioritize Jasmine, Mulan & Aurora, and we’d like to see Anna & Elsa
Tipsy Ducks in Love (drink in China)
Karamell-Kuche (can you believe we’ve never tried the treats there??)
Gran Fiesta Tour
Garden Rocks Concert Series – we won’t have tickets but we’ve been able to stand in the back and watch in the past

Other Maybes (first on our list to skip):
Journey into Imagination with Figment – we’ve never ridden that!
Mission Space Green – another ride we’ve never been on; the orange version scared me and Pat away for a long time!

What are we skipping?
Test Track – just not a priority for our family
Shows around the world – we might add something in or stumble across a show, but there aren’t any that we are prioritizing this trip

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I've seen a few TRs now saying that they went late afternoon/early evening and the virtual queue was not running... with lines 1 hour+... as good as the cookies are, I won't be waiting in a line for more than an hour for them. I'm hoping with being there during Spring Break, they'll have the VQ running.

I saw that, and each item looks like something I would enjoy! I'm thinking about trying it, but that might be a lot of food for one day at Epcot, on top of a QS and TS meal credit... and I think the prize is just more food??

We will have to get coffee in our room, unless we want to make the detour to get coffee in our mugs at Landscape of Flavors, I think. That will probably depend in part on how far from the lobby area our room is. We’ll likely make do with room coffee until we ride our first 1-2 rides. 4 of the 5 adults are heavy coffee drinkers, so wish us luck!

7am LL: Living with the Land. I know this might be a terrible strategy, but we’re hoping to ride Remy & Frozen at rope drop, get coffee/breakfast at either the Norway bakery or Starbucks, and then hopefully we’ll have an early morning LL for Living with the Land so we can book another LL after tapping in. Where should we grab breakfast if we’re going from Frozen Ever After to Living with the Land?

I was also wondering if the order would change? Do more people go to Frozen first or Remy?

ILL: My strategy is to try for the Guardians VQ first, and to only book the ILL if we don’t get VQ. Is there a significant benefit to booking the ILL over the VQ that I might be missing?

ILL will be MUCH faster to get throught the que. VQ will probably still be a 45-60 minute wait. VQ is stupid, I hate it. You earn the right to wait in line. Plus ILL, you can pick the time you want to ride, and VQ will be just whenever your boarding group is called. OBVIOUSLY, VQ is free.... But do know it is still a significant wait.

Both times we waited in VQ, I took my margarita from Mexico into the line and had no issues having time to finish it.

We’re planning to ride Remy first since we’ll be entering via the International Gateway, and then book it over to Norway for FEA. I’ve been reading a lot of blogs that attempt this strategy and it sounds like we might be cutting it close if we’re not first in line for the Skyliner / first in line to enter the park, but we’re hopeful we can ride Remy and still make it to Norway before non-resort park guests are let in. Then our next stop is coffee & breakfast!

I might need you to report back to me on how this goes for you! I am leaning towards France of breakfast for us.

Karamell-Kuche (can you believe we’ve never tried the treats there??)

You MUST do this!!! Even if you just pick out some treats for back in the room later. We love the treats in here. There is a gingerbread carmel whoopie pie cookie and a Carmel butter bar... Both AMAZING!!! I almost always get them and eat parts of it in the room over the course of the trip.

Avocado Margarita in Mexico

I have only tried the avacado margarita once. I love the Neil Patrick Harris Margarita.

 

[jrmint427]

I was also wondering if the order would change? Do more people go to Frozen first or Remy?

I see more people going to Remy first if they enter from the back of the park, because it's right by the back entrance, but those entering from the front of the park usually go to Frozen first. We will try Remy then Frozen, but I'm nervous about how it will go!

ILL will be MUCH faster to get throught the que. VQ will probably still be a 45-60 minute wait. VQ is stupid, I hate it. You earn the right to wait in line. Plus ILL, you can pick the time you want to ride, and VQ will be just whenever your boarding group is called. OBVIOUSLY, VQ is free.... But do know it is still a significant wait.

That is good to know! This convinced me we will just buy the ILL at 7am. I know we want an early afternoon time and we won't want to lose a full hour to waiting in line for that.

I might need you to report back to me on how this goes for you! I am leaning towards France of breakfast for us.

I will try to let you know! I think we'll have just a few days between our trips so I won't have my trip report up yet, but message me if I forget and I'll tell you how it worked out France breakfast is an excellent choice!

You MUST do this!!! Even if you just pick out some treats for back in the room later.

Okay, I added it to our must do list! I'll bring bags this time to take back treats for later.

I have only tried the avacado margarita once. I love the Neil Patrick Harris Margarita.

How was the avocado margarita? What is in the NPH one? Maybe we'll have to try both!

 

[jrmint427]

Day Three – Hollywood Studios

Our plan this day is to rope drop, stay through lunch, then spend the majority of the afternoon relaxing back at our resort. We’ll go back in the evening for quick service dinner and Fantasmic.

Coffee / Early Morning Plans: Early entry hours start at 8am. We plan to leave our room at 7am and take the Skyliner. Coffee will be at our hotel before we go.

7am LL: N/A – I’ve gone back and forth but I think we will be skipping Genie+ this day. It’s so expensive, I’d rather save it for what will be our full day at HS later in the trip.

ILL: We know we want to ride Rise of the Resistance, but thinking about saving it for our full day at HS. We plan to prioritize shows and characters this day. That, or we could try to get it for the evening when we go back before Fantasmic.

Rope Drop Plans: Toy Story Mania; this is why I’m not as concerned about being at the very front of the rope drop line, I think more people will go for RotR, ToT or SDD. I’d also like to try Kat Saka’s for the Cold Brew Black Caf if it makes sense for us to head back that way.

Lunch: Sci Fi Dine-In with the Fantasmic Package

Afternoon Break: We plan to leave the park by 1pm at the latest to go back to our resort. Depending on the weather and how tired we are, we might swim, or possibly nap. Our plan is to head back to HS by 6pm at the latest, but I’m hoping we’ll go back a little earlier. Our only evening priorities are to get dinner and head to Fantasmic.

Dinner: Woody’s Lunch Box, a favorite for many of us! I’m wondering if we’ll easily be able to take our food to the theater to wait for Fantasmic, what do you think? I read they don’t have a good way to pack up the food for us and we can’t carry the trays all the way over, so wondering how feasible this will be.

Must Dos:
Our priorities in the morning are to ride Aliens (if line isn’t too bad), watch Frozen, Muppet Vision, and likely meet Olaf. Other than that, we’ll jump in any relatively short ride lines if there are any (not counting on it) and maybe try to fit in another show or character. We just started watching Star Wars with the girls (watching not in release order but chronological order – we watched episodes 1-3 and started episode 4 last night!); so they are saying they would like to meet Darth Vader. DD7 (who used to be DD5 for those following my latest trip report) said she wants to call him Anakin and try to recruit him back to the light side!

Nice to Dos:
Indiana Jones, Beauty & the Beast, Disney Junior, any other characters; our goal this day is to tick off a few items to make our second HS day less stressful in terms of seeing and doing everything we want to do.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

How was the avocado margarita? What is in the NPH one? Maybe we'll have to try both!

It was before covid that I had it, so my memory is faint on it. But I want to say it was like a creamy lime margaita? It wasn't super avacado-y. I love the NPH one, it is blackberry flavored. It’s made with smoky Mezcal, blackberry purée, Cassis liqueur, lime, and mint.

not a cheap margarita! But I try to get 1 a trip now!

Rope Drop Plans: Toy Story Mania; this is why I’m not as concerned about being at the very front of the rope drop line, I think more people will go for RotR, ToT or SDD. I’d also like to try Kat Saka’s for the Cold Brew Black Caf if it makes sense for us to head back that way.

You should have no problem rope dropping TSM. You might even be able to ride twice if you wanted. Or hop over to Aliens' before the line gets long..

Lunch: Sci Fi Dine-In with the Fantasmic Package

YEAH!!! We are going to Sci-Fi as well. I looked at doing the package but... 4 adults worth of food just seemed so so much!

I wish they would bring back the dessert pacakge they had. It was basically dessert to go. And you ate it in the stadium. It was perfect.

Dinner: Woody’s Lunch Box, a favorite for many of us! I’m wondering if we’ll easily be able to take our food to the theater to wait for Fantasmic, what do you think? I read they don’t have a good way to pack up the food for us and we can’t carry the trays all the way over, so wondering how feasible this will be.

Hmm. That is true... If you plan ahead, maybe you could get brown paper bags from a counter service or a starbucks and layer stuff into the bag? Ask for an extra tray that they put the food in to cover the food?

so they are saying they would like to meet Darth Vader. DD7 (who used to be DD5 for those following my latest trip report) said she wants to call him Anakin and try to recruit him back to the light side!

If you do this, you need to try and film it! I will warn you.... Darth Vader is pretty intimanating in person... Poor Gwen... talked a big game until we got in the room.

I think overall you should be good to not have LL this day. If you focus on shows, character meets and the rides you mentioned. You should be good.

 

[jrmint427]

It was before covid that I had it, so my memory is faint on it. But I want to say it was like a creamy lime margaita? It wasn't super avacado-y. I love the NPH one, it is blackberry flavored. It’s made with smoky Mezcal, blackberry purée, Cassis liqueur, lime, and mint.

not a cheap margarita! But I try to get 1 a trip now!

Oh that does sound good too! It will be a tough choice. The margaritas are super expensive, planning to split one with Pat given the prices.

You should have no problem rope dropping TSM. You might even be able to ride twice if you wanted. Or hop over to Aliens' before the line gets long..

That is what I'm hoping! We'll see how bad the lines are but if Aliens isn't over 25-30 min that might be our next stop.

YEAH!!! We are going to Sci-Fi as well. I looked at doing the package but... 4 adults worth of food just seemed so so much!

I wish they would bring back the dessert pacakge they had. It was basically dessert to go. And you ate it in the stadium. It was perfect.

Sci Fi will be so much food! I'm hoping we can nap after that meal before swimming back at the resort. With 4 of us on the dining plan the cost isn't too bad, but it will definitely be our big meal for the day.

Hmm. That is true... If you plan ahead, maybe you could get brown paper bags from a counter service or a starbucks and layer stuff into the bag? Ask for an extra tray that they put the food in to cover the food?

That's a good idea! Maybe I can even pack a large bag to carry the food if we can get extra plates to create layers? This will be interesting.

If you do this, you need to try and film it! I will warn you.... Darth Vader is pretty intimanating in person... Poor Gwen... talked a big game until we got in the room.

I wondered about that! I'll be intimidated haha. I wonder if the girls will really want to meet him once we get there. We started the 5th movie last night, he's getting scarier.

 

[jrmint427]

Day Four – Magic Kingdom

Coffee / Early Morning Plans: Coffee in the room, if we can get ourselves together so early, we will leave around 6:30am to take the bus to MK for early entry which starts at 7:30am.

7am LL: Jungle Cruise

ILL: Tron

Rope Drop Plans: If the timing works out, we plan to split up for early entry rope drop. Pat, his mom and I will go for Space Mountain while my parents take the girls to Peter Pan. Then we’ll meet up to rope drop Pirates together at the rope drop for everyone.

LL Priorities: Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan (the rest of us want to ride it too!), Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, Dumbo, Princesses

Lunch: Most likely Cosmic Ray’s

Afternoon Break: TBD – last year we sat in Tortuga Tavern with ice cream treats. We could also use the People Mover or Carousel of Progress as “breaks” to sit.

Dinner: Skipper’s Canteen

Must Dos:
Too many to list! Most of our favorite rides, meet Ariel and Mickey, try Tron for the first time
I Lava You float at Sunshine Tree Terrace

Nice to Dos: Meeting Tiana & Rapunzel, Cinderella & Elena, the Barnstormer (girls aren’t sure if they want to ride it)

What are we skipping?
Astro Orbiter – we have never been on it before, so maybe it should be a nice to do?
Enchanted Tales with Belle – also probably a nice to do, but not a must this time around
7DMT – it’s just not worth paying the ILL and the line will be too long for us. We could add it as an ILL or nice to do our last day of the trip if we feel like we’re missing out
Tomorrowland Speedway – also something we can skip if we’re low on time

 

[jrmint427]

Day Five – Rest Day

Our plan this day is to finally sleep in after 4 very early mornings in a row. I’m wondering how we’ll be doing with 4 early mornings in a row, if we’ll actually be able to get up that early each day.

We have a late morning brunch reservation at Topolino’s, which we’re super excited about. I read that they no longer let you order a side from another menu item like they used to? It was a ton of food last time so I’m still expecting we’ll walk away stuffed.

Our plan for the afternoon is to swim and relax at our resort. I’m guessing we’ll all want naps by this point, but if not, and if it’s not warm enough to swim, we could resort hop or go to Disney Springs. But I’ll be surprised if we have that kind of energy.

We have dinner planned at O’hana. We’ve never eaten there before, so I’m really excited to try the famous noodles!

After dinner, our parents and the girls might stay to watch fireworks. Pat and I get a date night! We’re planning to go to Hollywood Studios After Hours. I thought Pat would say I was crazy to suggest such a late night on our rest day, but he immediately said it sounded like fun We’ve never done an after hours event before, so I’m excited to give it a try. Our biggest goal is to ride Tower of Terror multiple times.

 

[jrmint427]

Day Six – Hollywood Studios

Coffee / Early Morning Plans: Since Pat and I will have gotten back around 1am the night before after taking advantage of HS After Hours, we will not be rope dropping this morning. We plan to leave for the park around 9:30am and will start our day a little after 10am, unless we all happen to be up earlier. Coffee in the room or the food court this day for anyone up early enough!

7am LL: Slinky Dog Dash

ILL: Rise of the Resistance

LL Priorities: SDD, MMRR, Smuggler’s Run, Tower of Terror, TSM, Aliens

Lunch: Docking Bay 7 – this will be another first for us!

Afternoon Break: Oga’s Cantina – though if we’re standing, I don’t know how much of a break this will be. We have never been and would like to check it out.

Dinner: Roundup Rodeo BBQ

Must Dos:

Any rides we missed our first HS day, Indiana Jones, Beauty & the Beast, Disney Junior Dance Party, meeting characters like Olaf, Jessie, Fancy Nancy and Darth Vader if we didn’t meet them on our previous day at HS

Pat and I will get to do the thrill rides at AH, but his mom will also want to ride Tower of Terror, so we’ll plan to fit it into this day

What are we skipping?

We won’t be going to Fantasmic a 2nd time, we can use that time to ride anything we missed if we’re up for a late night!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Astro Orbiter – we have never been on it before, so maybe it should be a nice to do?

Meh... It's nothing special. We have ridden it once! I would say if you do, go at night. The view is really nice at night.

We have a late morning brunch reservation at Topolino’s, which we’re super excited about. I read that they no longer let you order a side from another menu item like they used to? It was a ton of food last time so I’m still expecting we’ll walk away stuffed.

I always say we are going to do this and then I see the price and shy away.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I’m excited to join in on your PTR! Our upcoming trip is my ninth trip to Disney World too (although the first for my two girls).

I’m going to break my quotes/comments into a few posts so it’s not totally overwhelming.

My favorite snack is the I Lava You Float

I’ve never heard of this until recently from your and another TR - it looks delicious and is making onto my snack list!

We were debating between Art of Animation and Port Orleans (we stayed at Riverside before) and ultimately chose Art of Animation!

AoA is perfect for kids! I’ve stayed at Riverside twice and it’s great, but the theming at AoA is top-notch. Plus, the Big Blue Pool looks incredible and the skyliner is a great perk.

When we added in the cost of food and wands (the whole reason the girls want to go), we were looking at $1,400 for ONE DAY. If we wanted to add in the express pass, it was going to be $1,900.

GOOD GRACIOUS. Frankly, if your girls aren’t very excited about the rides I’d wait until they’re older and potentially more interested in thrill rides. Universal and IOA is awesome but it’s not as child-friendly (especially ride-wise) as Disney World.

We’re doing a Fantasmic dining package for lunch and plan to make it back for dinner and Fantasmic in the evening. For those who take mid-day breaks, are you usually glad to have had that rest time? Would you do Genie+ this day if we’re only going to be there in the morning and then later in the evening?

This is out exact plan! I moved around our park plans when Disney released the end date for Flower & Garden - our planned first day at Epcot was the day after the festival was over. Whomp whomp.

I’m actually excited to use lunch for our Fantasmic dining package and then we’ll head out in the early afternoon for naps/rest (as I have a one-year-old). We’ll come back in the evening after grabbing dinner at our resort (we’re at the Beach Club) and hopefully enjoy another ride or two before entering the theatre.

I was planning to get Genie+ on this day as the lines always appear to be quite long. I figured I’ll grab SDD first thing, and then a combination of Smuggler’s Run/MMRR/TSM depending on available times. Even if we get just a few lightning lanes I feel it should be worth it for the time saved (especially since we’ll have to ride a few things “twice” thanks to rider swap).

This time I was able to not only get everything we wanted in one morning, but for the most part, at the times we were targeting too!

That’s fantastic! I love Disney Dining day.

Rose and Crown; this will be a new-to-us restaurant.

I enjoy the Rose and Crown and have eaten there twice. They used to have a FANTASTIC cheese plate on their appetizer menu, but it looks like several things are gone since the pandemic. I also really enjoyed my Cider and Black and the Sticky Toffee Pudding is FANTASTIC (although it’s noted as plant-based, I would think it’s vegetarian?).

Sci-Fi Dine In and Rodeo Round-up; both will be new for us, I’m especially excited for the Toy Story theming! For QS we’re planning to eat at Woody’s Lunch Box (our favorite) and try Docking Bay 7 for the first time. I also made a reservation for Oga’s Cantina which we’ve never been to before.

Wow, you planned a great lineup for meals! We’re aiming for 50’s Prime Time instead of Sci-Fi as my youngest is in a high chair, but your girls will love the cars at Sci-Fi. I can’t wait to try Woody’s Lunch Box and Docking Bay 7, too!

Skipper Canteen (our favorite

I’m thrilled to hear you say this! I’d love to try Skipper Canteen this time and think it would be a perfect choice before our dessert party - almost all the other MK TS restaurants are buffets or multi-course meals!

Topolino’s – We loved the meal and experience on our last trip, and this was the top request from the girls; we’ll be doing brunch one day.

I’m super excited to try Topolino’s brunch and hope I’m lucky to get a reservation there!

O’hana – We’ve never been! I can’t wait to try the noodles.

‘Ohana is delicious - I’ve eaten there for dinner during my last four trips (and plan to again on our upcoming trip). The salad, wings/potstickers, noodles, and bread pudding are all great (and the fun cocktails at the Poly are too). The meat eaters in your group should enjoy the meat - my favorite is the shrimp.

Story Book Dining w/ Snow White – This is one of our absolute favorite meals!

This is another restaurant I’m excited to try! I loved the original Artist Point so much that I was a bit salty when they turned it into a character meal… but the reviews are so good that now I’m excited.

Here's the plan for our credits; I know we might not follow this exactly, but I like to go in with a plan!

I think you have a great plan! I always like to go in with a plan, too.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

We’ll land a little before lunch time, so our plan is to go to the resort, drop our luggage, and eat lunch at Landscape of Flavors

Your arrival day plans sound a lot like ours! I loved Landscape of Flavors (I’ve walked across the bridge to eat there a few times when I stayed at Pop) although I’ve read their meals aren’t as exciting/creative as they used to be. I ate a delicious caprese sandwich which I don’t see on the menu - but if you spot it I highly recommend it!

Also, it’s very likely you’ll get into your room soon after arrival (unless things have changed post-pandemic). We’ve always flown in with a noontime arrival, and I’ve only had to wait for my room to be ready once (and it was only about an hour).

We’ll likely make do with room coffee until we ride our first 1-2 rides. 4 of the 5 adults are heavy coffee drinkers, so wish us luck!

The Little Mermaid section is such a haul from from the main building, but perhaps you could send 1-2 adults to fill all the mugs and meet everyone at the Skyliner? (The downside is you’d have to haul around the mugs all day.)

7am LL: Living with the Land. I know this might be a terrible strategy, but we’re hoping to ride Remy & Frozen at rope drop, get coffee/breakfast at either the Norway bakery or Starbucks, and then hopefully we’ll have an early morning LL for Living with the Land so we can book another LL after tapping in.

I see where you’re going with this! We’re aiming for a similar starting lineup and also arriving from the International Gateway entrance (walking from Beach Club).

My plan (as of now) is to head for Remy first and then Frozen, but also meet Anna and Elsa early before their line gets too long. I’m going to get a Frozen LL at 7:00. If Remy goes well and we’re at Frozen before or shortly after opening, we’ll ride Frozen first and modify our LL for another attraction (or we could keep it if we want to ride twice). We’ll then jump into Anna and Elsa’s line which should be lower priority first-thing for most of the day guests.

As for breakfast I’d either eat in the Norwegian bakery (check the menu to make sure your group would like it, but it’s fantastic!) or Sunshine Seasons in the Land (as they have great variety and good food).

Also, I can’t believe you’ve missed out on Journey into Imagination! It’s not phenomenal, but it’s a fun ride with a usually short wait. Plus, I think your girls would enjoy it - my daughter is very excited to ride it!

Is there a significant benefit to booking the ILL over the VQ that I might be missing?

The only one I can think of (based on reading, not experience) is the regular VQ line can get rather long unless you’re lucky to score an early boarding group. I’d say to try for the VQ and if you get an early return time, stick with that. If you try and get a later boarding group, go ahead and grab the ILL to minimize your wait in line. (And you could always ride again as you’ll still have your VQ!)

I also thought about eating around the world with the F&G festival, but we’ll have 4 unused QS credits if we do that. I’m so conflicted though, because I think we’ll want to try a lot of food around the world, and then we probably won’t be hungry for dinner.

What if you used the just some of the credits (1-3) amongst your whole group and therefore got a few included drinks and not as much food? Then the adults should have some room for additional F&G snacks. If you have spare meals, could you and Pat split in two different lines (or two QS mobile orders at different places) to use the spare credits for the rest of your family so then you’re not using more than 4 credits per order?

Rope Drop Plans: Toy Story Mania

I think this is a solid plan. If you find yourself close to the front of the rope drop line, you could also try for MMRR first and then head to TSM (which should still have a minimal-ish wait) - although perhaps that’s not a good alternative if you also want to get on Aliens?

We could also use the People Mover or Carousel of Progress as “breaks” to sit.

I vote for this plan! Carousel of Progress is one of my favorite attractions in Disney World - plus the A/C is heavenly after being out in the heat.

Pat and I get a date night! We’re planning to go to Hollywood Studios After Hours. I thought Pat would say I was crazy to suggest such a late night on our rest day, but he immediately said it sounded like fun We’ve never done an after hours event before, so I’m excited to give it a try. Our biggest goal is to ride Tower of Terror multiple times.

Fun! Disney threw me a curveball and released a DHS AH on the Wednesday night of our trip - now I don’t know whether to go to the AH or to MK EEH (which are usually on Wednesdays, although the hours aren’t released for that date yet). I’m so torn as I LOVE being in MK at night (plus EEH is “free”) but DHS has so many excellent rides that I’d love to ride more than once.

Also, Tower of Terror is an excellent plan. If I go for AH I’d do the same thing!

We won’t be going to Fantasmic a 2nd time, we can use that time to ride anything we missed if we’re up for a late night!

This will be great! This should allow you a second ride on SDD (which looks awesome at night) or a free additional ride on Rise, both of which would be fun.

 

[jrmint427]

Meh... It's nothing special. We have ridden it once! I would say if you do, go at night. The view is really nice at night.

That is good to know! I'll keep it on our nice to do list in the evenings if we have time. I do want to say I've been on it... eventually

I’m excited to join in on your PTR! Our upcoming trip is my ninth trip to Disney World too (although the first for my two girls).

Thanks for joining in! That is so fun, cannot wait to hear about their first trip!

I’ve never heard of this until recently from your and another TR - it looks delicious and is making onto my snack list!

Sunshine Tree Terrace had an item called Redd's Revenge before the I Lava You Float that I liked even more - the newer float is a little weird with the pop rocks but it tastes so good!

This is out exact plan! I moved around our park plans when Disney released the end date for Flower & Garden - our planned first day at Epcot was the day after the festival was over. Whomp whomp.

Oh wow! I would have moved things around too. F&G is so much fun!

I enjoy the Rose and Crown and have eaten there twice. They used to have a FANTASTIC cheese plate on their appetizer menu, but it looks like several things are gone since the pandemic. I also really enjoyed my Cider and Black and the Sticky Toffee Pudding is FANTASTIC (although it’s noted as plant-based, I would think it’s vegetarian?).

Good to know! I can't wait to try the toffee pudding. We eat dairy so we should be good with most desserts. I've confused servers in the past because sometimes we want the plant-based meal (which is typically vegan) but we prefer the "regular" dessert (which often has dairy) over the plant-based vegan dessert. They always seem skeptical when I try to explain that dairy is okay with us, just not meat.

Wow, you planned a great lineup for meals! We’re aiming for 50’s Prime Time instead of Sci-Fi as my youngest is in a high chair, but your girls will love the cars at Sci-Fi.

That makes sense! 50's Prime Time food wasn't great for me as a vegetarian (though I LOVED the milkshakes), but it was a really fun atmosphere. It was so nostalgic for our parents and reminded me of my grandparents' kitchen. My mom said she even had the same plates growing up. I would go back just for the experience, but excited to try something new with Sci-Fi!

I’m thrilled to hear you say this! I’d love to try Skipper Canteen this time and think it would be a perfect choice before our dessert party - almost all the other MK TS restaurants are buffets or multi-course meals!

Skipper's Canteen is fun, I love the puns and while the food is not consistent (I've always ordered the same meal and sometimes it's better than others), the service has been consistently good there.

‘Ohana is delicious - I’ve eaten there for dinner during my last four trips (and plan to again on our upcoming trip). The salad, wings/potstickers, noodles, and bread pudding are all great (and the fun cocktails at the Poly are too). The meat eaters in your group should enjoy the meat - my favorite is the shrimp.

I can't wait! It looked like a great option for our whole group. It will be fun just to visit the Poly too.

This is another restaurant I’m excited to try! I loved the original Artist Point so much that I was a bit salty when they turned it into a character meal… but the reviews are so good that now I’m excited.

I never ate at the original Artist Point. But I will say the food has been consistently AMAZING there, and the character interactions are so fun. I wish it wasn't at the end of our next trip but it will be a great way to wrap up our week.

Your arrival day plans sound a lot like ours! I loved Landscape of Flavors (I’ve walked across the bridge to eat there a few times when I stayed at Pop) although I’ve read their meals aren’t as exciting/creative as they used to be. I ate a delicious caprese sandwich which I don’t see on the menu - but if you spot it I highly recommend it!

I'm glad to hear this! I didn't see the caprese on the online menu but will grab it if they have it. I was underwhelmed by the menu and wanted to consider going somewhere else for lunch, but if we do that, we wouldn't have time for swimming/relaxing at the hotel before our evening plans.

Also, it’s very likely you’ll get into your room soon after arrival (unless things have changed post-pandemic). We’ve always flown in with a noontime arrival, and I’ve only had to wait for my room to be ready once (and it was only about an hour).

So glad to hear that! We should be good if our rooms are ready by 3pm (though it would be nice to have them earlier), I just get nervous about pushing our evening plans back too much. If we swim, we'll definitely want to shower and change before dinner!

The Little Mermaid section is such a haul from from the main building, but perhaps you could send 1-2 adults to fill all the mugs and meet everyone at the Skyliner? (The downside is you’d have to haul around the mugs all day.)

I thought about that... and had the same hang up with carrying our mugs around. I also thought they could maybe get coffees to go, or we'll find a Joffrey's on our way at some point.

I’m going to get a Frozen LL at 7:00. If Remy goes well and we’re at Frozen before or shortly after opening, we’ll ride Frozen first and modify our LL for another attraction (or we could keep it if we want to ride twice).

Ooooh now you have me re-thinking our plan. Maybe I should grab a Frozen LL just in case the morning plans don't work out and to your point, if we can get on, I can switch it to Living with the Land at that point. I'm starting to think that might be less stressful for me. I just didn't want to lose the 9am-11am park time with no LL if we don't have to.

Also, I can’t believe you’ve missed out on Journey into Imagination! It’s not phenomenal, but it’s a fun ride with a usually short wait. Plus, I think your girls would enjoy it - my daughter is very excited to ride it!

Oh good to know! I'll keep this on our list if we have time for it (or if all other rides just have too long of waits).

What if you used the just some of the credits (1-3) amongst your whole group and therefore got a few included drinks and not as much food? Then the adults should have some room for additional F&G snacks. If you have spare meals, could you and Pat split in two different lines (or two QS mobile orders at different places) to use the spare credits for the rest of your family so then you’re not using more than 4 credits per order?

I thought about this! If we're hungry (and want a free margarita with a QS meal) we'll probably grab something at the Mexico QS. I think we should be good to use extra credits if we're doing a mobile order at other locations, will just need to try to keep track and make sure we're using all of our credits. I'm curious if it will let me use 5 QS credits for one order or if we'll have to split up orders to use extra credits.

Fun! Disney threw me a curveball and released a DHS AH on the Wednesday night of our trip - now I don’t know whether to go to the AH or to MK EEH (which are usually on Wednesdays, although the hours aren’t released for that date yet). I’m so torn as I LOVE being in MK at night (plus EEH is “free”) but DHS has so many excellent rides that I’d love to ride more than once.

That is a curveball! I'd probably lean toward the MK EEH because it's included for you and MK would be so fun with lower crowds spread across more rides. I would also love to ride Space Mountain or BTM on repeat!

 

[jrmint427]

Quick Life Update - I've been a little quiet here after getting sick with Covid. I've had difficulty reading/concentrating. This is my second time getting it (last time I picked it up at Disney), and it's been worse this time around. I'm just thankful I got sick far enough in advance of our trip that (fingers crossed) it shouldn't impact our travel plans, and my family is just fine and testing negative. The CDC just updated guidelines today to drop the 5-day isolation guidance! I'm isolating longer than that to be safe. My only concern is that I still have shortness of breath when I walk at all (or sometimes when I'm just talking), and I'm getting nervous about whether I'll be back to 100% normal for all the walking we'll need to do on our trip.

Day Seven – Animal Kingdom

Coffee / Early Morning Plans: Coffee in the room again! The plan is to leave our room by 6:30am to take the bus to AK for 7:30am early entry.

7am LL: Safaris

ILL: Flight of Passage - for me, Pat and our moms. I don't think either girl will ride this one, and my dad definitely won't.

Rope Drop Plans: Navi River Journey, then Starbucks; unless the Safari still has a short wait and our LL is for later in the day, in which case we'll also try for an early morning Safari.

LL Priorities: Meeting Mickey & Minnie, the Animation Experience, Expedition Everest

Lunch: Satu'li Canteen

Afternoon Break: Nomad Lounge

Dinner: Boma

Must Dos: All of the above plus the Lion King and Finding Nemo shows, Triceratop Spin

Nice to Dos:
Gorilla Falls
Maharajah Jungle Trek
Feathered Friends in Flight
The Boneyard (break for the parents / fun time to run around for the kids)
Discovery Island Trails

What are we skipping?
I'm okay with skipping Dinosaur, but might get talked into it.
I will not be talked into It's Tough to Be a Bug - but my dad will recruit whoever he can to ride with him!
Kali River Rapids - we never want to get wet... but might be fun to ride one of these days!