Last Minute June 2022 Trip

[jrmint427]

I am so excited to be starting a pre-trip report! Sit back for the (somewhat long) story of how we were not going to go to Disney for a very long time but somehow ended up with a two-week Orlando trip booked for June 2022. I’ve never had such a short time to plan a trip, but I’m ready for the challenge!



Would we ever make it back “home”?

Our last trip was in September 2019 and we had tentatively thought that our next trip might be over Spring Break 2021. That seemed like so far in the future when I started thinking about planning it in September 2019. DD4 would be starting Kindergarten in the fall of 2020 (which also felt far away at the time), so from then on we would be held to the academic calendar for scheduling our trips. We were very lucky to take three trips in three years during off times thanks to our young kids being in daycare rather than school - in September 2017, November 2018 and September 2019 (you can find all the trip reports in my signature):







We all love Gaston!



Obviously, a few things got in the way of that trip and it never happened. I optimistically thought that we might go over Spring Break 2022, but we quickly realized that we needed a trip to catch up with family we hadn’t seen in over two years, so Disney was going to have to wait. Which I was okay with, given the frustrations I was reading about Genie+. We’d go a year or two later after the kinks are worked out.

We took a road trip to visit family over Spring Break (a 19 hour drive in both directions!) and had a great time traveling again.



We figured that Disney would wait until 2023, but even that wasn’t a guarantee. At this point, the girls had been begging for another Disney trip.

We’re going to Orlando

Well then my parents came through. They’ve been stacking up timeshare points during the pandemic and were ready to spend them. They booked a week at an Orlando resort for June 2022 and called me to say they booked a two-bedroom. No pressure, they said, but if our family wanted to join them for the week, we had a free place to stay. We initially talked about going but were going to skip Disney and my husband and I would have to work during part of the week. We would enjoy a few days in the sun, and take advantage of pool time after work, and maybe get a taste of Disney at Disney Springs.



The trip really evolved from there. My husband realized that due to our planned week being peak work time for him, he was going to have to work Monday through Thursday the week of our trip. That didn’t sound like much of a vacation for him. I got a crazy idea and suggested we extend our trip a second week. We both have the flexibility to work remote for now, so why not take advantage of that? A second week would mean my husband could take a few more vacation days while we were still in Orlando, and would justify driving, which is always our preference.

To my surprise, my husband agreed! I called my parents and offered to book an Airbnb for a second week if they could stay and watch our kids during our work days. Not only did they agree, but my dad quickly found a nearby timeshare with two bedrooms to cover our second week. My husband and I checked with our employers and got permission to work from Florida for those dates. We were all set!

How do you go to Orlando and not go to Disney?

Well I’m sure you know where this story is going… the answer is, you don’t go to Orlando and not going to Disney! How could we spend two weeks in Orlando and not have any Disney days?! We quickly realized we couldn’t. It took very little persuading on my part to convince my husband and parents that we needed to work in some park time during this trip. We thought about adding just a couple of days but we love all four parks and couldn't decid between them, so we will have one day at each park during our two week trip.

With less than 60 days to go, and a completely new system to learn with Genie+, I can use all the help I can get with planning our time! I couldn't be more excited!

 

[jrmint427]

Cast of Characters

There will be 6 of us on this trip! This will be the 3rd trip with us all traveling together to WDW. Introducing this cast....

I'm Jessica, the family planner. Planning Disney trips is half the fun for me (part of why I wish we had more time to plan for this trip!). I'm diving in with all the Podcasts, YouTube videos and reading other Disboard accounts to learn to navigate with Genie+. This will be my 8th WDW trip if I'm counting correctly. My favorite park is Animal Kingdom (unpopular opinion, I know), I just love the theming and vibe of the park. My favorite rides are Flight of Passage, Expedition Everest, Tower of Terror and Space Mountain. My favorite food experience is the Snow White dinner at Artist Point and my favorite quick service is Satu'li Canteen.

I realized I don't have pictures of me by myself at Disney, so this is me with my husband, Pat. This will be his 9th trip I think. He is a Disney lover as well, but maybe not on the same level as me. His favorite park is Animal Kingdom because it's well designed and offers a lot of shade. He likes Epcot too but says it gets too hot. His favorite ride is Flight of Passage. His favorite food for experience is the Snow White dinner and Be Our guest. For quality of food, it's Teppan Edo and Jiko.



Our kids have grown up going to Disney and probably have no idea how spoiled they are! They are 5 and 7 and this will be their 4th trip, and probably the first that both really remember since they were 3 and 5 on our last trip.

DD7 is a planner like me, so I'm trying to involve her in the preparations for this trip. Her favorite park is Magic Kingdom and her favorite rides are Dumbo and Magic Carpets. She said her favorite food was all the treats.

DD5 has been asking to watch all the ride videos so she can decide what she wants to ride. Her favorite park is also Magic Kingdom, and her favorite ride is It's a Small World. She says she doesn't remember the food.



Last but not least, we have my parents. They started this whole adventure by suggesting they book a timeshare in Orlando. They joined us on 2 of our 3 previous trips with the girls (and also took me and my sisters twice when we were growing up).

My mom says she likes all four parks but when pushed, would pick Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. Her favorite ride is Flight of Passage and her favorite food was the Snow White dinner.

My dad's favorite parks are also Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom (looks like Epcot and HS are not getting as much love from our family). His favorite ride is Peter Pan and is favorite food is the Mickey Mouse pretzels.

 

[Isabelle12345]

Following!
Can't wait to hear more about your plans and see how much your daughters have grown!
We went to Orlando for a week in February (split stay onsite - offsite) and did 3 Disney days - it was amazing!
Once you understand Genie+ it becomes quite useful (although the planner in me much preferred planning my FP+ 60 days in advance!)
Joining in for the fun

 

[suse66]

Following along! Sometimes the last minute trips end up being the best trips! You will have so much fun planning a fantastic vacation.

 

[jrmint427]

Following!
Can't wait to hear more about your plans and see how much your daughters have grown!
We went to Orlando for a week in February (split stay onsite - offsite) and did 3 Disney days - it was amazing!
Once you understand Genie+ it becomes quite useful (although the planner in me much preferred planning my FP+ 60 days in advance!)
Joining in for the fun

Thanks for following along! I'm so glad to hear that, but the planner in me also misses booking FPs in advance. I like to have a plan going in, and while I'm okay if we deviate from it, I feel better having one. I'm finding it harder to plan much at all other than deciding what we will rope drop and what our first LL will be. I appreciate any tips for Genie+!

Following along! Sometimes the last minute trips end up being the best trips! You will have so much fun planning a fantastic vacation.

Thanks for joining! I can definitely see that. At least shorter planning time means less time to wait for our trip

 

[jrmint427]

Overview of our trip

As I mentioned earlier, this trip evolved from one week to two weeks! This is a high-level overview of our plans for the trip. With two weeks and only 4 park days, this should be a much more relaxing trip. But, Pat and I will have to work some during this trip, and it will probably be a little weird to be working on days in the middle of our trip. I’ll post more specifics on our food & restaurant plans in a separate post.

Day 1 - Friday: We’ll hit the road after work and school this week to start our 14-15 hour drive to Orlando.

Day 2 - Saturday: We’ll finish our drive; this will be a long driving day, and we lose an hour coming from CST to EST so we will get in late this evening.

Day 3 - Sunday: Pool day! We’re hoping to spend the day relaxing at our off-site resort and will spend the evening at Disney Springs.

Days 4-6 - Monday – Wednesday: Work days for me and Pat, my parents will hang out with the girls. I’d love to think I can take a lunch break to sit by the pool and end my days at a reasonable time to spend some time outdoors, but it will depend on how busy things are. We may try for some Disney Springs and/or resort dinners these evenings.

Day 7 - Thursday: I’m taking this day off but Pat has to work. Plans with the family TBD. Pat and I will have a date night in the evening.

Day 8 – Friday: Pat and I will both be off work and we’ll need to switch resorts this day. Our plan is to pack up at resort #1 then go to brunch at a Disney resort. We’re thinking about checking out the Disney Wilderness Preserve and maybe a local chocolate museum, but still unsure. I’d love to hear other ideas for non-Disney activities in the area! Really not looking for something that would cost a lot for a ticket, but something fun for the kids.

Day 9 – Saturday: Magic Kingdom

Day 10 – Sunday: Animal Kingdom

Day 11 – Monday: Work day

Day 12 – Tuesday: Hollywood Studios

Day 13 – Wednesday: Work day

Day 14 – Thursday: Epcot

Day 15 – Friday: Check-out day ☹ Maybe one last breakfast or brunch at Disney before we leave? We’ll start the drive home.

Day 16 – Saturday: Driving home

 

[jrmint427]

Dining Reservations

The downside to staying offsite during a 2 week trip is… I have many 5am mornings to look forward to. I’ve been trying to not get up at 5am every day, but have been setting my alarm on the days where I know we have hard-to-get reservations. I have had a few major disappointments where even at 5am I could not get the reservations I wanted (Homecomin’, Artist Point, Be Our Guest, Skipper's Canteen). I get a little Grumpy when I lose sleep for no reason!



I have a wish list but have gotten very little of what I’m looking for so far. I’ve signed up for Mouse Dining alerts and I’m not giving up yet. The two reservations we want most are for Homecomin’ and the Snow White Dinner at Artist Point, and we have 6 nights we could fit these in, so I’m hopeful something will pop up.

I’ll also note that the girls and I are vegetarians. Disney does a wonderful job of accommodating various diets, so we’re really not limited in were we eat, but some options are more appealing to me than others.

Here is what I have so far and also what I’m hoping we will get:

Day 1 – Sunday pool day – we want to have dinner at Disney Springs. I have an 8:30pm reservation for The Boathouse because that was the best I could get, but I’m likely to drop it because that’s probably too late for the girls, and I’m also not super excited about their vegetarian pasta option. I do think the rest of the adults would like the food and I would enjoy the drinks and ambiance. I am still trying for an earlier reservation at Homecomin’ or thinking about trying a progressive dinner that would involve cocktails and appetizers at Jock Lindsey’s, dinner at The Polite Pig and dessert at Amorette’s Patisserie. If we don’t do the progressive dinner this evening, we’ll likely do it another.

We ate at Homecomin’ in November 2018 and I’ve been dreaming about going back ever since. They offer Gardein chick’n, the hush puppies were amazing, and I had the best drink there, the Apple Pie a la Mode. I found a recipe and have been making this drink at home for my family on Thanksgiving for the past few years now. I’m so hopeful we’ll be able to eat there again. My parents have never been so it would be great to take them.



Day 2 – Monday work day – we have a back-up reservation at Terralina Crafted Italian Dinner. It looks good but I’m not super excited for it because we have good Italian back home and I love to try different foods on vacation. Has anyone eaten here? I’m hopeful to get a reservation for either Homecomin’, Artist Point or Morimoto Asia if any of those become available but will keep Terralina if they don’t.

Day 3 – Tuesday work day – trying for Homecomin' or Artist Point if we don't get them on a previous nights.

Day 4 – Wednesday work day – I managed to get a 9:30pm reservation for Homecomin’. I’m pretty sure I’ll end up dropping this because it’s way too late to expect the girls to go to dinner (and it’s a work night for Pat), but part of me thinks it’s vacation, and they can sleep in the next day. I’m sure I would regret it but want to eat at Homecomin’ so badly! So we might keep if we can't get Homecomin' on one of the previous nights.

Day 5 – Thursday – we have a lunch reservation for Steakhouse 71. The evening will be date night! Pat and I have a reservation at Jaleo. After dinner we might get a drink in Disney Springs, but I’m also thinking about heading to the Boardwalk to try the Abacadabar and hopefully see some fireworks from there. Suggestions for date night are welcome!

Day 6 – Friday – I was hoping for a brunch reservation at Kona but couldn't find one. I booked two back-up options, and will decide which to keep based on whether characters are returning to a certain restaurant. I booked Trattoria al Forno in hopes that Rapunzel and friends might return by June. The food is great but we've eaten here a few times, so if the characters are not returning by our trip, we'll likely eat at Boma instead. I'd still like to try Kona one day, but at least we have a couple of good options.

Day 7 – Saturday – Magic Kingdom day! I wanted Be Our Guest for lunch but the best I could get was 10:25am. It's not ideal at all, but the girls want to eat in the Beast's castle so it's probably worth it to make that work, and I've set an alert in hopes of getting a better time. I really wanted Skipper's Canteen for dinner. My parents have never eaten there and I know my dad would love the puns. The best I could do was dinner at 8:15pm. While this wouldn't be so bad for dinner time (we can snack during the afternoon), I'm worried if we keep this reservation we are likely to miss the fireworks. I panicked and also booked Liberty Tree Tavern for 7pm so we have a back-up. I'll wait to see what time the fireworks are scheduled to decide which to keep, but if they stay at 9pm/9:20pm, we'll keep LTT. I'm also debating dropping both and just eating at Pecos Bill as a back-up, which would give us more flexibility.

Day 8 – Sunday – Animal Kingdom! I’m thinking Kusafiri to pick up breakfast and coffee, Satu’li Canteen for lunch (it’s my favorite Quick Service in all the parks) and Yak and Yeti for a sit-down dinner if we can get a reservation. Why is it so hard to get a Yak and Yeti reservation??

Day 9 – Monday – Work day; still trying for either Homecomin’ or Artist Point

Day 10 – Tuesday – Hollywood Studios! I think we’ll do quick service for lunch and dinner, one at Woody’s Lunch Box and the other in one of the Star Wars restaurants. I was going to try for Oga’s for a late afternoon or evening drink. We’ve never been! But now I'm on the fence because I've read it's crowded, sometimes standing room only or people being squeezed in with other families.

Day 11 – Wednesday – Work day – our last chance for one of the reservations I’m desperately looking for.

Day 12 – Thursday – Epcot! I’d like to “eat around the world” at the Flower & Garden booths and pick up some snacks around the world at the normal counter service options. For dinner we’ll try for Le Cellier or Chef de France. We’ve never been to either but would like to try something new.

Day 13 – Friday – We leave our resort. Maybe one last breakfast or brunch at Disney before we go?

Please share any suggestions or ideas for back-up plans to the above! If they bring back character meals I would love to try 1900 Park Fare, and I'm definitely intrigued by Topolino's breakfast. Are we missing any restaurants you would highly recommend?

 

[suse66]

Day 1 – Sunday pool day – we want to have dinner at Disney Springs. I have an 8:30pm reservation for The Boathouse because that was the best I could get, but I’m likely to drop it because that’s probably too late for the girls, and I’m also not super excited about their vegetarian pasta option. I do think the rest of the adults would like the food and I would enjoy the drinks and ambiance. I am still trying for an earlier reservation at Homecomin’ or thinking about trying a progressive dinner that would involve cocktails and appetizers at Jock Lindsey’s, dinner at The Polite Pig and dessert at Amorette’s Patisserie. If we don’t do the progressive dinner this evening, we’ll likely do it another.

We tried to do the exact progressive dinner on our March trip and were faced with an 1 1/2 hr wait for Jock Lindsays. The weekends can be so busy at Disney Springs. Maybe a weeknight might be better?

Day 6 – Friday – I was hoping for a brunch reservation at Kona but couldn't find one. I booked two back-up options, and will decide which to keep based on whether characters are returning to a certain restaurant. I booked Trattoria al Forno in hopes that Rapunzel and friends might return by June. The food is great but we've eaten here a few times, so if the characters are not returning by our trip, we'll likely eat at Boma instead. I'd still like to try Kona one day, but at least we have a couple of good options.

I highly recommend Boma. The food is delicious, the cost is reasonable and you can explore AKL after.

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[jrmint427]

We tried to do the exact progressive dinner on our March trip and were faced with an 1 1/2 hr wait for Jock Lindsays. The weekends can be so busy at Disney Springs. Maybe a weeknight might be better?

This is so good to know, thank you for sharing! I'll try to get a reservation for Sunday night and plan the progressive dinner for one of the weeknights. Do you remember what time you got to Jock Lindsays? Hoping we can start early one day and take our time.

I highly recommend Boma. The food is delicious, the cost is reasonable and you can explore AKL after.

Good to know! I'm really wishing we could have more than one breakfast day but I'm not sure it will work out. I want to try Kona, Boma & fit in a Trattoria meal if the characters are back!

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.

Thanks for joining in!

 

[jrmint427]

Park Day Plans

We'll have one day in each park. The TP crowd calendar says 4-5 for each park day right now but we're skeptical. Isn't June usually busy?

I'm still trying to figure out exactly how to plan our park days with Genie+, but after watching some YouTube videos and reading other trip reports, I think I'll go in with a plan each day to know what we want for a first LL, what we want to rope drop, what are our Must Dos, and then a list of Nice To Dos. Also, I need to figure out how we're going to get coffee each morning. 3 of the 4 adults (myself included) will not function without caffeine. I'll make a post for what we're thinking for each day right now.

We're staying offsite so we can book Genie+ at 7am but we can't book the ILLs until park opening.

Animal Kingdom

I'm starting with this one because I think it's the easiest to plan.

Coffee: I'm thinking we'll get coffee at Joffrey's outside of the entrance to the park to sip while waiting to get in. I tried to search to make sure it's open but couldn't find anything saying it is or isn't; does anyone know? If it's not open we'll pick up coffee in the park right before or after our first ride.

7am LL: Na'vi River Journey

ILL: Flight of Passage for 3 of us (me, Pat and my mom) - my dad gets motion sickness and can't ride and I don't think the girls are ready for this one just yet

Rope Drop: Kilimanjaro Safaris - I love going first thing in the morning when the animals are active and I'm pretty sure this doesn't open for early entry guests so hopefully the line won't be too bad right at park opening.

After the Safaris I'm thinking we might grab some breakfast and more coffee at Kusafiri. The pistachio honey croissant sounds really good! Unless we're able to snag a LL right away, we could take breakfast to go and walk around Gorilla Falls. I'm debating using this time to try to get another ride before lines get too long, but also thinking this can be a pretty relaxing day because we'll have less to check off our list.

LL Priorities

• I'm hoping to LL another Safari for later in the day; it's become our tradition to ride twice when we can!
• I will LL Expedition Everest for Pat and me, and while we ride my parents will take the girls to Triceratop Spin and the Boneyard
• Lion King Show (I know we don't need a LL but what else will we use it for?)

I'll let Genie+ guide our day through the "must do" list below, hopefully limiting walking

Lunch: Satu'li Canteen - my favorite quick service! I love the tofu bowl and blueberry cream cheese mousse dessert.





Afternoon Break: Nomad Lounge; I've been hearing a lot about this one and it sounds like the perfect 3pm break, if we can get a spot. I can't decide between the bread service, Impossible sliders or Churros, it all sounds so good, so will have to see how we're feeling if we go there.

Dinner: We all REALLY wanted to eat at Yak and Yeti. But for some reason it's not showing as open for dinner on the day we're going (a Sunday), only for lunch. I'm going to keep an eye on it but I booked a dinner reservation at Jiko at 7:50pm as a back-up. I'm not sure if we'll keep it. Pat and I had one of the best meals there back in 2012 and the menu looks so good, but I don't see a kid's meal posted and we might be too tired for a sit-down meal late this evening (and Pat and I have to work the next day). We could end up with another Quick Service like Flame Tree BBQ or Restaurantosaurus.

Must Dos
Safaris
Flight of Passage
Na'vi River Journey
Expedition Everest
Triceratops Spin / The Boneyard
Lion King Show
Finding Nemo Show (IF it's back)
Meet Pocahontas (IF she's back)
See the otters
Meet Safari Mickey & Minnie
Nomad Lounge

Nice To Dos
The Bird Show
Conservation Station / Animation Experience
Walking the trails

What are we skipping?

• Dinosaur - it's too rough for my parents and honestly, for me, the girls would be terrified and I just don't enjoy it enough. If we find we have a lot of "leftover" time mayyyybe we'll fit it in, but won't be going out of our way for this one.
• A Bug's Life - see my latest trip report; never again!
• Kali River Rapids - never really enjoy getting wet, even in the summer

What am I missing? Is there anything you would change?

 

[Isabelle12345]

I like your plans!
I think with Genie+ it is the right way to do it - plan on your first LL, then your rope drop ride, and have a list of your must dos that you can pin to the top of your tip board and choose the next LL from that list.
To add to your list, i think your daughters would like Kite Tails! It can make for a good break in the middle of the day and it is entertaining!
We found the Flame Tree BBQ seating area by the lake provided us with good (not great) views, but it was shaded and we also saw the floatillas while we were waiting!

 

[jrmint427]

To add to your list, i think your daughters would like Kite Tails! It can make for a good break in the middle of the day and it is entertaining!
We found the Flame Tree BBQ seating area by the lake provided us with good (not great) views, but it was shaded and we also saw the floatillas while we were waiting!

Thank you so much! I had to look up Kite Tails, I agree, the girls would love that, thank you for the recommendation! I've added it to our list. Good to know we could watch from Flame Tree BBQ if it's too hot to be sitting in the sun. Could you hear the music from there?

I've been making a little progress on the dining reservations we are chasing after. Hunting for ADRs is a serious competitive sport! I've got my alerts and check the app periodically. Here are a few changes I've already made / reservations we've gotten:

Sunday (first night in Orlando): I've kept the 8:30pm Boathouse for now but really want Homecomin'. I'm nervous Disney Springs will be busy on the weekend, but also suppose we don't have to eat at Disney Springs this night. But it seems odd not to eat somewhere Disney on our first full day.

Monday: I switched from Terralina to Jaleo. I'm really excited about this one so feeling set for this evening.

Wednesday: I got some pixie dust and managed to snag a Story Book Dining reservation for our group. However, it's early evening and when I told my husband (while doing a happy dance!), he was concerned he might not be able to join us because of his work schedule this week. If I can find a later time this night or another night I will drop this reservation, but until and unless I do, I think we're keeping this one. It's a high priority for the girls (and really all the adults - we loved our meal here last time we went), so I'm thinking worst case is that my husband might have to join us later when he is able to. My only concern is, will they seat us with 5 out of 6 present? In our past experiences, Disney likes to have the full group present before seating anyone.

Thursday: Date night! We originally booked for 2 at Jaleo but since we switched Monday night's meal to Jaleo, I booked Jiko instead. It's also too early in the evening for a work night so I'm watching for a later time.

Saturday (MK): I originally snagged a Be Our Guest reservation for lunch at 10:25am which was not at all ideal. I was so excited to get a dining alert that allowed me to switch that to 12:05pm! Much better time for lunch. Still watching for a decent time for Skipper's Canteen for dinner but also feeling more excited to go back to Liberty Tree Tavern... or possibly stick to counter service for more flexibility in our day.

Sunday (AK): For some reason, Yak and Yeti is not available for dinner this evening. I initially booked at 7:50pm for Jiko but then cancelled that. I think we'll be too tired to drive to a resort and Pat and I have to work the next day. There's also not a posted kid's menu for Jiko on Disney's website (though I've read they have kids options). My parents voted for Flame Tree BBQ instead, and so Pat and I decided Jiko would make a better date night and we'll just stick with quick service on our AK day.

I only have our Epcot day left to book (trying for Le Cellier dinner), and then I'm just watching for the following:

1. Dinner any free night at Homecomin'
2. A slightly later (but not too late) dinner at Artist Point (Story Book Dining) any free night
3. A later Jiko reservation for date night
4. An earlier Skipper's Canteen dinner at MK
5. Kona breakfast - we have 3 potential days for this

 

[Isabelle12345]

Could you hear the music from there?

We did, I think (not sure) it was from a distance but we could definitely hear some music!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Yay! Glad to see another trip on the books for you guys.

Your plans all look great so far. The off site dining scheduling is rough, though! I'm sure you'll get alerts as time goes by. I have had really good luck with reservation finders, especially as trips get closer. Since you have so much flexibility with which nights you're dining where for the first week, I bet you end up with good options as time goes by.

 

[jrmint427]

Yay! Glad to see another trip on the books for you guys.

Your plans all look great so far. The off site dining scheduling is rough, though! I'm sure you'll get alerts as time goes by. I have had really good luck with reservation finders, especially as trips get closer. Since you have so much flexibility with which nights you're dining where for the first week, I bet you end up with good options as time goes by.

Thank you! Yes, I've found a few things with alerts and hoping more open up. The more I read about Topolino's, the more I want to fit that one in too, but I think it will be tough. We have 2, maybe 3 days we could do a breakfast and I need to narrow it down from between Trattoria, Topolino's, Kona and Boma, assuming we can even find reservations. It may be a matter of what opens up closer to our trip!

 

[jrmint427]

Epcot Planning

Coffee / Rope Drop: Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie; this will actually be our “rope drop” plans. We’ve never eaten here before and plan to sit for coffee and breakfast. Will it be super busy at park opening?

7am LL: Frozen Ever After

ILL: Guardians of the Galaxy (just me and Pat, assuming it gets added) and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

Rope Drop: Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie

LL Priorities

• Frozen Ever After (7am)
• Soarin’ (11am)
• Spaceship Earth

Lunch: We’re planning to “Eat Around the World” at the Flower & Garden festival booths and possibly some quick service around the World Showcase. I'll make a separate post for what foods and drinks I have my eye on at the F&G festival.

Afternoon Break: TBD - recommendations for an indoor place to grab a drink around the World Showcase?

Dinner: Chefs de France; I’m still trying to switch this to Le Cellier (Canada) but happy with this option if we can’t get Le Cellier.

Our touring plan this day will be a little different. We’ll start in France for a leisurely breakfast, then move toward the front of the park and let Genie+ guide us.

I’m planning to go for Frozen Ever After LL at 7am, then Soarin’ LL at 11am (two hours after park opening), and if we can ride it quickly, will use Genie+ to help us knock out Living with the Land, Nemo, Turtle Talk, and/or Spaceship Earth. I’m hopeful we can hit these all in ~2.5 hours and wrap up around 1:30pm if not earlier.

Starting at 1:30pm we will work our way around the world. I’m fully expecting a bit of a walk at some point for Pat and I to ride Guardians (IF we can get an ILL – probably a long shot with us staying offsite) and to have to go out of order to jump over to Remy at some point (I’m hopeful we'll get this one).

We currently have a 7pm reservation for Chefs de France, but I’ll be keeping an eye out to see if we can swap this for Le Cellier. Since both are on one end of the World Showcase, and I expect our Remy return time to be late in the day, this means we’ll start in Mexico.

I love that we can be a bit more spontaneous as we work our way around the world, but it’s also fun to plan out the food, drink and entertainment we might want to stop for in each country.

Must Dos

Frozen Ever After
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (new to us)
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (new to us)
Soarin’
Living with the Land
The Seas with Nemo and Friends
Turtle Talk with Crush
Spaceship Earth
Flower & Garden Festival – topiaries and food booths (new to us)
Harmonious (new to us)

Nice To Dos

• Character meets – Anna and Elsa are high on the list but we won’t want to wait more than 30 minutes to see them; Belle, Jasmine, Mulan and any other princesses are all “nice to dos”
• Gran Fiesta Tour – We usually end up doing this just because the wait is so short but not a “must do”
• Journey into Imagination with Figment – we’ve never ridden this so it might be nice to see one day but not high on our list

What are we skipping?

• Test Track – just not a priority for us
• Mission Space

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Love your Epcot day! You should look into the current ILL refresh times. I know Rise gets loaded back in a couple of times a day if you know when to look. Hopefully, they do that with Guardians, too.

 

[jrmint427]

Epcot – World Showcase/ Flower & Garden Festival

I’m hoping we’ll begin our trip around the world at about 1:30pm with the help of Genie plus. I’m sure we won’t hit all of this, but the following items are high on my list as we make our way around the World Showcase. We’ll start with the options outside of the World Showcase, and then begin in Mexico and work our way around, only going out of order as needed for Guardians, Ratatouille and Frozen Ever After rides.


Outside World Showcase

The Butterfly House
We could stop by this on our way to/from the Land Pavilion. We’ve “grown” butterflies at home the past two years so I think the girls would love to see this.

I believe Joy meets nearby. We've been watching Inside Out a lot lately, so if timing works out and the line isn't too long, we might try to meet her while we're in this area.

Flavor Full Kitchen
Seared Verlasso Salmon ($6.25) for my dad

Pineapple Promenade
Frozen Desert Violet Lemonade – looks pretty and it's non-alcoholic so the girls can enjoy this too ($4.50)

Sunshine Griddle
This one is a bit out of our way over near Test Track, but is a must-do for us because they are offering:

• Avocado Toast with Marinated Toybox Tomatoes and Fresh Goat Cheese on Toasted Ciabatta ($5.75)
• Fruit Loops Shake – looks adorable, my kids are excited for this! ($4.50)
• Other adults might like the shrimp & girts an corned beef brisket hash

Mexico

We’ll likely ride the Gran Fiesta Tour if the line is short.

Jardin de Fiestas

• Tostada de Chorizo: plant-based chorizo and black beans on a crispy corn tortilla with avocado mousse and queso fresco – I think this is a great place to start for a late lunch, there are chicken and beef options for Pat and my parents too ($7.75 for the tostada de Chorizo)
• Poppy Flower Margarita – tequila blanco, hibiscus flower tea, cucumber juice, aperitivo and blackcurrant liqueur with a chile salt rim ($13.75)

Cantina de San Angel – Quick Service
I'm anticipating that the girls may be hungry and not like the food up to this point, so we could stop at the Mexican quick service for either Empanadas con queso or Mac & Cheese.

Norway

We'll ride Frozen Ever After and hopefully meet Anna and Elsa if the line isn’t too bad. I do like the bakery here but given all the other food options this day, we'll probably skip it this trip.

China

If timing works out we might try to meet Mulan and see the Jeweled Dragon Acrobats.

Lotus House – will stop for the chicken skewers for my dad ($6.75)

Germany

Depending on timing, we'll try to meet Snow White. If we can make an Artist Point reservation work out, then we'll likely skip the line to meet her here.

Bauernmarkt: Farmer’s Market
Potato pancake with house-made applesauce ($4.75) – I think the girls would like the applesauce and at least one might like the potato pancake

Pretzel Cart
Jumbo pretzel at Pat’s request ($10.29) – I know he’ll have a few people helping with this one!

Italy

We've never seen Sergio the Italian Juggler so might try to catch him depending on timing.

Primavera Kitchen
Pat is interested in a few things here, especially the Arancini (fried risotto balls stuffed with beef, $14) or the Ravioli alla Boscaiola (sweet sausage ravioli, $13)

The American Adventure

We haven't seen Voices of Liberty before, so might pause if there's entertainment, but we don't have any food plans here.

Japan

It's always fun to see the Japanese drummers and I like the gift shop here.

Hanami
Frushi: Strawberry, pineapple, and cantaloupe wrapped in sweet rice and pink soy wrap served with whippe cream, berry sauce an toasted coconut – I think this one will be fun for the kids ($7)
Ozeki Pineapple Nigori Sake ($9.50)

Morocco

It would be great to meet Jasmine here if we make it while she's still meeting.

Tangierine Café: Flavors of the Medina
Mediterranean Flatbread with za’atar, artichokes, olives, mozzarella and feta cheese ($5.75) and the Pomegranate Mimosa ($11) or Pomegranate Hard Cider ($5)

La Isla Fresca
Arepas topped with melted queso fresco – this looks basic but exactly the kind of thing my kids might actually eat ($5)
Tropical Breeze – lemonade, grapefruit juice and simple syrup – also sounds great for the kids, they love sour candy and flavors ($4.50)
Coconut Key Lime Ale ($5)

France

We could meet Belle if she is out, but if we end up meeting her at Enchanted Tales with Belle (if it re-opens), we'll skip this meet.

We’ll most likely skip the food in France since we’re eating breakfast and dinner here, but the food booth looks good too. I also know my family well enough to know we’ll be looking for something chocolate after dinner, so adding in some options for that.

Fleur de Lys
Coissant au Fromage de Cevre, Herbes et Ail Rotie (croissant with goat cheese, herbs and roasted garlic) ($6.76)
Beignet Caramelise, Fourre Crème Vanille, Glace au Caramel Fleur de sel ($5.50)

Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie
Frosé – frozen côtes de Provence Rosé, Vodka, Peach ($13.95) - probably won't be in the mood for it at this point int he day, but it looks so good!
Chocolate desserts for after dinner?

United Kingdom

Meet Alice? I'm guessing it will be too late by the time we get here.

Cider House
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tart ($4.25) – probably after dinner

Canada

Northern Bloom
Blueberry Fruit Beer – there’s a blueberry sour called “Violet, You’re Turning Violet” that is one of my favorite beers, I’m interested to try another blueberry beer; or we could try the beer flight which also adds a Blonde Ale from Quebec and Apricot with Maple Syrup Blonde Ale

The Citrus Blossom
I’d like to try the Citrus beer flight: Key Lime Hibiscus Ale, Orange Peel Ale (from Wicked Weed Brewing, a brewery we visited in Asheville, NC), and Citrus Honey Cream Ale ($10)

What are we missing that we should be sure to eat/see/do in the World Showcase?

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Love all your plans. I haven't been paying as much attention to F&G, as our trip will be F&W.

We could meet Belle if she is out, but if we end up meeting her at Enchanted Tales with Belle (if it re-opens), we'll skip this meet.

The full ETwB isn't running, but she is now meeting there in her blue dress. So, you have choices as to where you want to fit in a Belle meet.