The Redemption Reunion Tour - Mar 2025 (+2024 PTR) - (Updated 2/7 - Magical Extras)

[SimplyGoofy]

You've got some great dining planned and I'm excited to hear how it all goes! Also would really like to hear about how your girls like Sanaa and how the animal viewing is! I'm on the fence myself about Sanaa versus Boma for our upcoming trip. I booked Boma earlier this week on our ADR window, but I'm also thinking about switching to Sanaa or maybe trying it for quick service breakfast!

Thank you! I'm really excited about our choices, even with scaling back on my usual ADR stacking. I'm sure I'll likely order the kid's fish with a side of mac and cheese for one side (both girls like fish and L LOVES mac and cheese), but I think both may try the bread service as well.

I love the Boma brunch but must admit that the Sanaa breakfast choices sound really good!

I am a die hard Sci Fi apologist, so I fully support this and think the atmosphere is super fun and exactly what I want out of Disney. But I feel I must warn you that the food was BAD, like, really bad to inedible on our trip last March. I think where we erred was not just getting burgers and fries at a place that is clearly intended for that. If I recall right, on our last trip, I got some sort of sandwich that was labeled a Bahn mi, because I love Bahn mi, and it was so flavorless, and overcooked and also tasted like poor quality meat. I only ate a few bites. My husband also got some sort of specialty sandwich and thought it was really bad. The best food was definitely my two year old's kid burger and fries! I will definitely return but will have learned my lesson on branching out.

But also just a note on the seat with L - they did offer a booster, but we were also trying to set three across in one row, and that was a tight fit. My son is tall so he did fine with no booster even at 2.5, but definitely a good option with your group of 4 to split between two rows and use a booster. The cars make it so much more fun so I really didn't want to be in a table.

This is really good to know - thank you! We stuck with pretty basic fare the last time we dined here (Anika had a burger and I had a reuben sandwich) and thought it was good but not great. I'm sure we'll order mini corn dogs for M which should also be fine.

Also, I'm glad the booster is an option! We exclusively used high chairs last time, but L is more likely to use boosters this time. We'll still need something for her as my girls are NOT tall.

I'm also so excited about snacks! Anything you're particularly excited about?? I've seen this creme brûlée croissant in Gaston's Tavern that is new since we last went and that people have been raving about, so that's high on my list!

Oh my, ME TOO!!! Anika has a running list of must-try snacks and I need to put together a list as well. I'll have a full post about snacks (plus Flower and Garden treats, which are kind of like snacks?), but on the top of my list is the cheeseburger egg rolls from the Adventureland cart since I missed them last time.

 

[Mollydolly334]

This was another favorite character meal last May. We have a late-morning ADR on our second Magic Kingdom day. Anika is excited to eat at the Grand Floridian (it’s her favorite resort) and we’ll all enjoy the great breakfast fare (pull-apart bread! Eggs benedict! Cheesy Potato Casserole! Strawberry soup!). Honestly, the menu sounds SO good. It will be Anika’s first time here since the re-do (we had dinner there back in 2015) and everyone’s first time here for breakfast.

We LOVED our brunch ADR here back in September. The characters were top-notch, the restaurant is just gorgeous, and the food was DELICIOUS. It was everyone's favorite meal and Jake won't stop raving about it to this day. And this is coming from a guy who doesn't prefer character meals! He vowed that it needs to be an every-trip tradition from now on! This was an ADR I booked on a whim just in case we wanted to do something on our last day (I almost forgot we even had it booked), and it was definitely the "sleeper hit" of the trip!

 

[Isabelle12345]

I agree - 1900 Park Fare brunch was my highlight during our summer trip where we tried many new-to-us character meals!
We are repeating it in March for our next trip!
Everything was delicious and the characters were so fun! Enjoy!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

We LOVED our brunch ADR here back in September. The characters were top-notch, the restaurant is just gorgeous, and the food was DELICIOUS. It was everyone's favorite meal and Jake won't stop raving about it to this day. And this is coming from a guy who doesn't prefer character meals! He vowed that it needs to be an every-trip tradition from now on! This was an ADR I booked on a whim just in case we wanted to do something on our last day (I almost forgot we even had it booked), and it was definitely the "sleeper hit" of the trip!

This is great to hear - thanks for validating this choice, Molly! Now I feel even better about swapping out our Ohana for Park Fare!

The characters were wonderful when we went here for dinner, but I’m especially excited to try this lineup of breakfast food. The fact that Jake is still talking about it and wants this brunch to be an every-trip tradition says a ton about the quality of this meal!

I agree - 1900 Park Fare brunch was my highlight during our summer trip where we tried many new-to-us character meals!
We are repeating it in March for our next trip!
Everything was delicious and the characters were so fun! Enjoy!

Thank you so much for another endorsement! The fact that you’re repeating it for your upcoming trip is a great sign.

Our dinner at 1900 Park Fare was wonderful (the food didn’t taste like it came from a buffet!) and I agree that the characters were excellent.

 

[madeline07]

Plans sound so amazing! I'm looking forward to keeping up with your trip

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Plans sound so amazing! I'm looking forward to keeping up with your trip

Welcome, Syd! I’m so glad you’re here!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Magic Kingdom, Here I Come!
Magical Extras

With the park plans and dining ready to go, let’s talk about those magical extras!

First up, I can’t imagine a trip without Memory Maker.

I LOVE getting all those pictures and feel like we missed a ton of fun photos during our last trip. The heat and fumbling with the stroller (not to mention my somewhat picture-adverse husband) meant we didn’t stop nearly as much as I’d hoped.

Anika is not as enthusiastic about pictures as I am, but she’s used to it thanks to our prior trips. She should also be a good influence to encourage the girls to stop for pictures. I’m most excited about pictures with the Epcot topiaries!

The big downside is Memory Maker is getting expensive ($185!). I knew G wouldn’t be thrilled about the expense, so instead I used Target Circle rewards to acquire Disney gift cards to pay for it.

(Technically you can’t use rewards or gift cards to pay for Disney gift cards. However, I haven’t had trouble using the rewards toward a purchase that included both a Disney gift card and enough other merchandise that was more than the value of the rewards being used. Your mileage may vary!)

One additional note – you can consolidate your Disney gift cards onto a single card on a Disney gift card site. I did this to use a single card to purchase Memory Maker. It was also very useful on our last trip to pay for mobile orders!

One magical extra we’re skipping this time is the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. We loved our experience there and would absolutely do it again, but we’ll wait until our next family trip when M and L can do the experience together. L is only two and therefore not big enough for BBB quite yet.

A magical extra I already mentioned is the Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party – M was a big fan last time!

She ate four (!) of the chocolate pops – they were a hit!

The value of the dessert party is not the desserts – they’re fine, but the selection is slim and the quality falls in the fair-good range. The value is the prime garden seating – I’d say you’re paying $20 for the desserts and $75 for the seating. Still, it worked remarkably well for us last year and I know Anika will enjoy it as well.

Speaking of Anika, that leads to our next extra…

I ordered new Magic Bands!

Anika has not been to Disney World in ten years, so her old original bands no longer work. I know a Magic Band is not required, but we got used to them and find they make things easier. Anika was happy to pay for her own band.

Thanks to @vamassey1 I discovered you can decline bands so I didn’t order them for the girls. L doesn’t really need one and M has a Sally band from last year.

But you may have noticed an extra magic band in the picture.

Did I need a new band?

No.

Did I fall in love with a design and order it anyway?

You betcha.

And yes, Anika and I both loved the same band. We’re sisters, after all. Thankfully, our names are on the back so we shouldn’t have trouble figuring out which one belongs to each of us.

Our biggest magical extra is just for me.

Anika had mentioned to my mom that I could enjoy some time by myself on this trip. Once I heard that, I schemed about which park would be fun to visit at night (my favorite time in the parks and one that’s not great with young children).

Then I was curious… what special events were going on during our visit?

Much to my delight, an after-hours event at MAGIC KINGDOM would be happening during our trip!

(screenshot from Disney site)

I adore Magic Kingdom. I’d hoped to enjoy some alone time during our last trip, but I skipped the extended evening hours as I was SO TIRED that night. (Thanks, developing illness!) I was sad to miss time wandering around and riding a few favorite attractions again (Haunted Mansion! The Peoplemover! Dumbo at night!).

I double-checked with Anika first, but she gave me the go-ahead and I booked the Magic Kingdom After Hours event for myself!



Oh my goodness, I’m SO excited for my late night in Magic Kingdom! The late-night extra magic hours back in the day were my FAVORITE time in the park. (Anika’s, too – maybe someday we can do it again together!)

The After Hours event is from 10:00pm to 1:00am, but I can get in as early as 7:00 on the event ticket. My solo evening at MK is the same day as our second day in that park, so I could actually arrive before 7:00 on my regular ticket.

My plan for that evening is to enjoy dinner with the crew and help Anika get the girls back to the room. She’d be happy to do it herself, but it would be tough with two single strollers. Once they’re settled I’ll catch a bus to MK and enjoy my evening!

I’d like to get there early enough for another spin on the Carousel of Progress (which closes at regular park closing) and perhaps have a lightning lane or two ready to go. I’d also love to get a Cream Cheese Pretzel from the Lunching Pad if I missed it earlier in the trip – it’s one of my favorite snacks that I missed during our last trip.

I may or may not stop for Happily Ever After (as we’ll see it two days before) but I look forward to short lines at several classic attractions. Haunted Mansion and Pirates are must-dos, as is Space Mountain and the Peoplemover (both of which I missed last trip). I’d love to ride Mine Train again if the lines are short and I may try TRON again. I also love Storybook Circus at night – Dumbo is beautiful when it’s all lit up!

I’m going to be mighty tired after my late night, but I’m sure the Disney adrenaline will power me through Hollywood Studios the following day. The exhaustion will be worth it!

That leads us to our next difference...

Difference #9 - I get to attend my first Disney After-Hours event.

Bring on the Mickey bars!

Let me know if you have a favorite magical extra that you love to include in your trips!

Up Next: More Food

 

[pkondz]

That left one empty day – obviously, we needed an additional day at Magic Kingdom. You can’t get through everything in one day!

Something you may notice from this schedule... we are doing zero park hopping on this trip.

I used to always buy park hoppers... then rarely used them. I almost always would spend the entire day at one park. I couldn't justify the time lost for travel. Especially when I already had a limited supply of time.

Difference #7: This is the shortest Disney trip I've taken in almost 20 years!

And it's longer than many of mine.

Breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table

Good choice.

Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party

Nice! Which one did you book? Pre? During? After?

First up, I can’t imagine a trip without Memory Maker.

I never got it at first... until I started writing TRs.

The big downside is Memory Maker is getting expensive ($185!).

Did I need a new band?

No.

Did I fall in love with a design and order it anyway?

You betcha.

I double-checked with Anika first, but she gave me the go-ahead and I booked the Magic Kingdom After Hours event for myself!

That's great!!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I used to always buy park hoppers... then rarely used them. I almost always would spend the entire day at one park. I couldn't justify the time lost for travel. Especially when I already had a limited supply of time.

It’s true that you lose a lot of time park hopping (except perhaps between Epcot and the Studios given their proximity and the Skyliner). The park hopper made a lot more sense when they had the old extra magic hours setup - it was nice to go to one park during the day and then the late extra hours park that night. I’ve also enjoyed going to one park during the day and then going to another park for dinner and the evening show.

Since we want to take advantage of as much park time as possible (and the late magic hours aren’t applicable at the value resorts), foregoing the hoppers made sense for this trip. It just feels strange to me!

And it's longer than many of mine.

I didn’t realize that! You seemed to get a lot done, then, if you had limited time!

Good choice.

We loved our meal at CRT - I even felt it was a pretty good value for lunch (at least a good value for Disney). I’m excited to try breakfast and Anika is excited for her first visit to that restaurant!

Nice! Which one did you book? Pre? During? After?

I booked the Pre-Party, which makes the most sense with young kids. I’d love to try the After Party once they’re a little older, although honestly we had no problem finding a spot in the garden even with our late arrival with the pre-party. I liked the closer garden view to better see the castle projections.

I never got it at first... until I started writing TRs.

I bought it for the first time for my 2012 trip, which come to think of it, is after I joined the DISboards.

I’m sure there’s no coincidence.

I remember when it was a mere $99! $185 is ridiculous (although I’m still paying for it, so perhaps not ridiculous enough?).

But I mean, honestly, isn’t that band the greatest?! It has the partners statue! And the icons from each park! And it’s a neutral color that goes with everything!

That's great!!

I’m SO excited for my solo night in the Magic Kingdom! I’m excited for the rides and the treats, of course, but most excited to wander around MK at my leisure. It will be delightful!

 

[pkondz]

I didn’t realize that! You seemed to get a lot done, then, if you had limited time!

Usually 4-5 days

We loved our meal at CRT - I even felt it was a pretty good value for lunch (at least a good value for Disney). I’m excited to try breakfast and Anika is excited for her first visit to that restaurant!

Last time I ate there was dinner, but the first time (about 20 years ago!) there was only breakfast available.

I booked the Pre-Party, which makes the most sense with young kids. I’d love to try the After Party once they’re a little older, although honestly we had no problem finding a spot in the garden even with our late arrival with the pre-party. I liked the closer garden view to better see the castle projections.

Are there seats in the garden area? Or are you sitting on the grass?

I remember when it was a mere $99! $185 is ridiculous (although I’m still paying for it, so perhaps not ridiculous enough?).

But I mean, honestly, isn’t that band the greatest?! It has the partners statue! And the icons from each park! And it’s a neutral color that goes with everything!

How could you not??