Our Honeymoon Redo! PTR: 11/15/15 - 11/20/15 - Trip Report Link!

[deedee2177]

Ok one quick note: I made a minor change to our arrival day, 11/15/15, (shocking I know). I think I have decided we will definitely utilize the bus to go over to DTD. I just keep hearing such horror stories about the traffic and parking. I don’t want to deal with that. Not to mention we will have been in the car all day, so a bit of a change will be good.​

After we visit DTD and have dinner we still plan on heading over to HS for EMH. I was thinking about taking a boat over to POR (since this is the Resort I am considering for our Spring 2016 trip), and then catching a bus to HS. I know it’s not very time efficient but I think the boat ride will be nice and I always enjoy seeing other resorts.​

Ok, now onto the real update​

11/17/15: Revisited – Animal Kingdom/Epcot​

I’ve been really re-thinking a few of our days especially because of the change to CSR. I really want to have some time to explore CSR. However, I don’t anticipate this day changing too much. I’m not planning on making any FP+ selections for the morning because I feel pretty good about being able to do all the things we want to check out just by using stand by. The plans are as follows (Please keep in mind these time frames are estimates not anything set in stone):

8:30am – Arrive at Animal Kingdom (opens at 9am)

Image from our April 2014 Trip​

9:15am – Take a Safari Ride – I really enjoy this ride first thing in the morning. I feel the animals are a bit more active.

​

10:00am – Pangani Forest Exploration Trail – this is something we have missed in the past so I definitely want to take some time to check this out​

10:30 – Makarajah Jungle Trek – again this is something we have missed in the past so I want to rectify that on this trip.​

11:00am – Expedition Everest – Keith can utilize the Single Rider line for this. I have loved this ride in the past, but the last time was not a good experience. I got so oozy, and I just want to avoid that this time around! So, taking a moment to sit and people watch for a bit while Keith searches for the Yeti is completely fine with me!​

11:30am – We will then head over to Dinoland. The main attraction we will like to check out is Dinosaur. Though I do like to look around this area…I just think it is so cute.​

12:00pm – Lunch at Flametree BBQ – another first for us and Keith is a big BBQ fan so this works us. I would love to take advantage of the outside seating with the great view of EE.​

1:00pm – Festival of the Lion King – I’m not sure if Keith will go for this but I will make an attempt ​

1:30pm – Head out of the Park and back to CSR for a break!​

2:30pm – Back to CSR for a break. I would love to check out the pool if the weather permits. J If not, I would love to explore the resort.​

4:00pm – Head to Epcot. I plan on utilizing FP+ for Epcot. I will try to get a 4th FP+ for Soarin’…I doubt it will happen but will try. J If I can’t get one for Soarin’ maybe I can snag one for Illuminations.​

5:00pm – Spaceship Earth (using FP+)

5:30pm – Mission Space (using FP+). I will probably not join Keith on this one because yet again the ooziness effect is not fun.​

6:00pm – Test Track (using FP+)​

7:00pm – Dinner at San Angel (of course I'm hoping for a table to view the boat ride)​

8:00pm – Explore WS and find a spot for Illuminations (I will attempt to get a FP+ after we use the others, but I’m not getting my hopes up)​

9:00pm – Illuminations! We will take our time leaving the park after the show, and let the crowds die down a bit. Might be a good time to do some shopping. ​

 

[Chicago Mo]

Ohh! what great plans!!! Especially when you can do a Dis meet with US!!!
i am excited for the animals this trip. Weather being a bit cooler in November i am hoping they are frolicking like crazy!!!

 

[Li Li]

I think the trick is if you go to DTD fairly early (like 10 or 11 am), then the garage and traffic isn't too bad. We parked in the garage and it was very nice as garages go. I joked with my husband that Disney is probably the only place where you get excited for a garage! OOH, honey look, we can park in the garage!!

 

[Tracy161]

Great idea to check out POR while you're there - it's SO beautiful!!! I'm guessing you'll easily want to stay there on your Spring 2016 trip... just sayin'

 

[Glittercat]

Fulton’s Crab House
I love seafood, and the menu looks really yummy here!

I hope to go there for my 41st birthday!

Paradiso 37
I have not heard too much about this place, but the menu looks great and it looks like it has outdoor seating which might be nice (if not too chilly)

Same. Very little is said about this place it seems.

ADR Dinner - BOG (oh please, please, please hope this happens)

*fingers crossed for you!*

I did notice the HS has PM EMH hours on our arrival day....very tempting!!! But I have promised DH we would go to DTD on our arrival day (I've been promising that every trip and we haven't done it yet)!

NIGHT time EMH!!!

I love DHS at night too! But I love all the parks at night so... You're so close to being in the 6+ month range!!!

Agreed Tracy ALL THE PARKS!

Lefty’s – The Left Hand Store: I didn’t even know a store like this existed! My son (who is 3yrs old) is a lefty so I’m dying to check this place out to see what I can find for him.

My nine year old son is also left handed so I'm hopeful that this will be a store he digs.

DisneyQuest: I’m assuming we will receive a free ticket to this upon our check in at the hotel. I have not heard a lot of positive things about this place, but I think Keith will like checking this out. I figure he can always go check this out when I’m looking in some other places.

It was lots of fun in 1999 if a touch dated, it is painfully dated as of 2011, some of the games were still fun though.

Pooh-size

Adorable phrasing!

Akershus are going to be the three new-to-me ones. I'm pretty stoked for each!

I'm eager to try Akershus too, hope you enjoy it!

A stop off at Tangled bathrooms!

What? Tangled bathrooms oh dear. lol.

He finally told me…”just tell me if we stay at a moderate would it be cheaper than the package you booked at a value before FD came out?”. I confirmed it would be $200 cheaper. He said the magical words, “Book it!!”. YAY!! I was so excited.

SO glad you're getting to try a new resort and still at a discount! Bravo!

This was our chance to have the magical Honeymoon we had hoped for. She said she made a note in my reservation that the trip was a Honeymoon Celebration…how sweet!!

Awwwww. Disney magic right there. *smiles*

I immediately went out to my reservation on the Disney Website and there it was….my new reservation! Like I mentioned before, I am beyond excited!

That is such a terrific feeling!

After we visit DTD and have dinner we still plan on heading over to HS for EMH. I was thinking about taking a boat over to POR (since this is the Resort I am considering for our Spring 2016 trip)

We're thinking of going to POR in 2018 in a Royal Room for my daughter's 17th birthday! We have yet to go on our 2016 trip so maybe the planning is a tad premature. lol.

Wishing you luck and happy thoughts with all of your planning, oh and following along.

 

[deedee2177]

Ohh! what great plans!!! Especially when you can do a Dis meet with US!!!
i am excited for the animals this trip. Weather being a bit cooler in November i am hoping they are frolicking like crazy!!!

YAY!! Of course a Dismeet with Mo and her family!! Woohoo!! The morning seems to be a great time to catch from frolicking!

I think the trick is if you go to DTD fairly early (like 10 or 11 am), then the garage and traffic isn't too bad. We parked in the garage and it was very nice as garages go. I joked with my husband that Disney is probably the only place where you get excited for a garage! OOH, honey look, we can park in the garage!!

That's a great point about getting to DTD that early to get parking, but unfortunately we will probably won't even arriving until noon. Our plan was to head to the resort to check in and then head to DTD after a bit of a rest, but I guess we could always head straight to DTD instead. WHAT???? Is this me rethinking some plans yet again?? Ohvey!

Great idea to check out POR while you're there - it's SO beautiful!!! I'm guessing you'll easily want to stay there on your Spring 2016 trip... just sayin'

Tracy, I have a feeling you are right! I absolutely love the look of this resort. I also like the thought of the pull down bed, though it will only be the 4 of us that extra sleeping spot would be great!! My 2 munchkins can root a person out of bed like crazy!

I hope to go there for my 41st birthday!

Same. Very little is said about this place it seems.

*fingers crossed for you!*

NIGHT time EMH!!!

Agreed Tracy ALL THE PARKS!

My nine year old son is also left handed so I'm hopeful that this will be a store he digs.

It was lots of fun in 1999 if a touch dated, it is painfully dated as of 2011, some of the games were still fun though.

Adorable phrasing!

I'm eager to try Akershus too, hope you enjoy it!

What? Tangled bathrooms oh dear. lol.

SO glad you're getting to try a new resort and still at a discount! Bravo!

Awwwww. Disney magic right there. *smiles*

That is such a terrific feeling!

We're thinking of going to POR in 2018 in a Royal Room for my daughter's 17th birthday! We have yet to go on our 2016 trip so maybe the planning is a tad premature. lol.

Wishing you luck and happy thoughts with all of your planning, oh and following along.

Thank you so much for joining along and all the great advice you shared!!!

 

[deedee2177]

ADR Update

Yesterday was my ADR Day, unfortunately I was traveling on business so it wasn't my ideal set-up. I woke up around 5:30 to make sure I could log in with the wifi. I was able to log in and was glad to see that I could see all the dates for my trip. Well, 6am rolled around and the system was down. I wasn't able to actually start making reservations until about 6:20 or so. I was able to get the following (not exactly what I wanted, but I'm still pretty content with what I got):

11/15/15 (Arrival Day): T-Rex at 3:30pm
Originally I was not happy with this time, but snatched it up because at this point I had not been able to get anything. After all was said and done, I think this time will actually work out really well for us. We will have gotten on the road early, and we were only planning on stopping for a quick breakfast on the road. This will allow us to get checked in, maybe grab a snack instead of a lunch and then head to DTD and have an early dinner. Then we can head over to HS as planned and if we get hungry later that night we can split one of our QS meals.

11/16/15 (Magic Kingdom): The Plaza Restaurant at 5:35pm
This probably the one I'm really disappointed about, I was hoping to get 'Ohana at 6pm this night but no such luck. I will keep checking back for this one and maybe I will luck out.

11/17/15 (AK/Epcot): San Angel Inn at 5:00pm
This one worked out the way I had hoped. I feel this will be a good time for us and gives us plenty of time to eat and explore the park before we settle down for Illuminations.

11/18/15 (AK/HS): Sci-Fi at 4:35pm
This was another one that worked out. I feel like we can sit back and enjoy our dinner and then we will be able to head over F!

11/19/15 (EP?/MK-MVMCP): Tony's at 5:30pm
Well, this was going to be our BOG dinner, but no luck! Not too surprised because it looks like they are only open from 4pm-6pm for dinner because of the Party. However, I haven't had Tony's before and it's a place I have wanted to try.

So overall I'm happy with what we ended up with, the only one that I will probably try to change is The Plaza to a dinner at Ohana if possible.
Hope everyone who had their ADR Day recently had some pixie dust filled outcomes!
​

 

[Glittercat]

Well, this was going to be our BOG dinner, but no luck!

What about a BOG lunch instead? I've been reading of people having a LOT more luck with late lunches there!
Your ressies look great especially Sci-Fi that place looks like such fun! Good luck with the 'Ohana reservation I truly hope you get it!

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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[deedee2177]

What about a BOG lunch instead? I've been reading of people having a LOT more luck with late lunches there!
Your ressies look great especially Sci-Fi that place looks like such fun! Good luck with the 'Ohana reservation I truly hope you get it!

I was thinking about trying to grab a lunch there, but not too sure if my DH would like anything on the menu. He is such a picky eater, I think he would enjoy dinner there better but I might have to strongly consider doing a lunch there. I'm just dying to see the inside!!

Sci-fi is pretty much a Must Do every trip. It is such a fun atmosphere and it's one of my DH's favorites.

I really hope I can 'Ohana as well, that is the one ressie I really wanted so I will keep looking for that one to open up!

 

[deedee2177]

Mmmmm, I've never eaten at any of those restaurants (yet...) and I look forward to hearing how things work out. I'm sure the company and occasion will make your food even yummier!

The only one we have eaten at before is Sci-Fi, so I'm really looking forward to trying out the new places. Keith and I were just talking about it today, we are not going to know how to act just the 2 of us...especially at dinner. We are so used to dividing and conquering. He takes one kid and I take the other one and we entertain while we eat...LOL. It will be nice to sit back and enjoy the meals together each day...it's a big part of our trip this go around.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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[Chicago Mo]

these are GREAT!!! I love your ADR's! ANd yeah.. Bog. it's a joke. unless you try for the END of your trip it's not going to happen. I hope one day it will ease up..
Ohana.. I am so sorry you weren't able to snag this!!! Keep trying everyday. I will say i believe the reason we can't get a lot of this is because of all the Party dates going on this week!!!

 

[deedee2177]

I think you have me convinced to try Sci-Fi on my next trip as well. You and other posters are so good about planning - I'm still at the stage that as soon as the Disney booking takes place my brain just goes into happy mode and I can't remember any intended plans!

We enjoy Sci-Fi, some people complain about the food but it's your typical "All-American" choices...hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. So, if you are going in expecting some gourmet meal this is the wrong restaurant. However, if you are looking for a fun environment and your typical food then this is a great place!

My brain is definitely in happy mode, and that is part of the reason I feel like I have to do a PTR because if I don't get it written down and out of my head I won't make any sense of it!

 

[deedee2177]

these are GREAT!!! I love your ADR's! ANd yeah.. Bog. it's a joke. unless you try for the END of your trip it's not going to happen. I hope one day it will ease up..
Ohana.. I am so sorry you weren't able to snag this!!! Keep trying everyday. I will say i believe the reason we can't get a lot of this is because of all the Party dates going on this week!!!

Yeah, I'm honestly not too disappointed about BOG just because I honestly did not expect to get it! I am disappointed about 'Ohana and that is the one I will keep trying to get. I agree I think the ADRs are a bit more difficult for that week because of the parties. Again, I'm happy with what I have and we can make it work!

 

[Elevationist]

I can't get over how much trouble are having getting their ADRs! I wonder if it has to do with Free Dining? I'm praying for an easier time of it when my ADRs get here in 17 days!

I'm drooling over your T-Rex booking! I can't wait to eat there! OM NOM NOM!

 

[Chicago Mo]

I can't get over how much trouble are having getting their ADRs! I wonder if it has to do with Free Dining? I'm praying for an easier time of it when my ADRs get here in 17 days!

I'm drooling over your T-Rex booking! I can't wait to eat there! OM NOM NOM!

I have no idea what's going on.. I have NEVER had this much trouble getting ADR's ever!

 

[deedee2177]

I can't get over how much trouble are having getting their ADRs! I wonder if it has to do with Free Dining? I'm praying for an easier time of it when my ADRs get here in 17 days!

I'm drooling over your T-Rex booking! I can't wait to eat there! OM NOM NOM!

I'm guessing it because of the FD too. Then you throw in a couple of parties and there you go. I was hoping since there are only 2 of us that would help my chances but no luck yet, but I will keep checking to see if one comes up at 'Ohana. I've pretty much given up on BOG for this trip.

I'm happy I got an ADR at T-Rex. I wasn't happy with the time at first but I'm actually glad it worked out that way now. We are going to have such an early day that day that we will probably be good and hungry by that time.

 

[deedee2177]

I have no idea what's going on.. I have NEVER had this much trouble getting ADR's ever!

Well, at least we are in this together

 

[Chicago Mo]

Well, at least we are in this together

yes yes we are!