Pre-Trip Ready to Show our Disney Side Without 'Em

I really wasn't sure if I wanted to do a PTR. Life has been pretty stressful between side business stuff, new job, kid issues...I know, I know- that's just LIFE!!! Still, I haven't been as psyched up for this trip as I've been for previous Disney adventures. About 3 months ago, I totally revamped my fitness routine and nutrition and it's been helping (going over 40mi per week + lots of other stuff will do that to you ), but I think I need a bit more help in the Disney excitement area...so, I'm hoping a PTR will help. Fingers crossed!!!

For those that don't know me...I'm Sandy...

The photo is pretty fitting as I pretty much live behind my camera while on vacay. Hey, it makes me happy. You may actually be seeing more of me though in my actual trip report as I plan on having some solo time nearly every day and intend to hand off my camera to the Disney photogs here and there. More on my solo time to come.

And here we have the rest of the immediate fam...

This is DH (yes, after all of these years posting on here, I still refer to him as DH), Kendall and Sammie. Here's where the "showing our Disney side without 'em" factors in. This is a KID FREE TRIP!!!!! That's right! We're heading to WDW without the girls. They're a bit bummed that they're not coming with us. I actually think Kendall suspects we're going to surprise them last minute and bring them along. NOT HAPPENING!!! I was on the phone with Disney the other night and she excitedly declared "We're going to Disney!!!" I brought her back to reality and said "No, I'm going to Disney." I'm so mean

Finally, we have one oddball addition to our touring group...

Yes, it's a spork. Officially, it is "Space Mountain Spork." I'll spare you the full story, but it all came up at work the other week and before I knew it, some coworker friends 'gifted' me with said spork and assigned me the task of bringing it on our trip and taking pictures with it all along the way. It also ties into Taco Bell and how Disney has just about everything...everything BUT Taco Bell ...and how I may just walk into MK and suddenly miss that there's no Taco Bell. This is how I feel about Taco Bell And this is how I'd feel about a Taco Bell in MK The spork won't be unwrapped until we're at WDW.

So, now that you've met me, DH, and our spork ...let's get into some of the basics.

WHEN: Nov 7-12
WHERE: Literally just switched from the Contemporary to the Poly

Yes, I know the Poly is a massive construction zone, but 30% off room only discounts hit for our dates (we're not DDP peeps) and the Poly was the only suitable deluxe with rooms. I had a feeling this would be the case. Back around day 180, I tried to add a day onto our stay (thought I'd already done it) and there was nothing below concierge level in the tower at that point. I tried to switch to BWI and there was nothing there either. It's always kind of a scary thought when so many things are booked solid that far out. Granted, we are going at the tail end of F&W, Jersey Week and Veteran's Day weekend....so that's part of it. I even checked the GF for our dates once the room discounts hit, but nothing. So, we're staying at the Poly- strictly for the convenience factor, room size, and well- the discount. I saved about $600, so it's worth it to me. And who knows...maybe we'll even pop by Blizzard Beach since Poly guests are getting free access.

I think I'm going to call it a night, but coming up:

> Dining and dining dilemmas
> Touring plans
> A day at Uni
> Spork goals
> Cake (you had to figure cake would factor in at some point)
> Everything else I can think of

 

[coachwnh]

Love the kid free trip. We did the same in May. I love being there with the kids, but it was nice just my wife and I

 

[MerMom1981]

Ooooh you ARE mean! ;-)

I'm hoping for a kid-free evening or two during our next trip. (we'll have both grandmas with us). Looking forward to hearing your plans

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Love the kid free trip. We did the same in May. I love being there with the kids, but it was nice just my wife and I

I remember seeing that in the "how many days" thread. I'm sure there will be times when we miss having the girls around, but it should be a good time being kid free and doing the things we wouldn't do or wouldn't enjoy as much with the girls.

Ooooh you ARE mean! ;-)

I'm hoping for a kid-free evening or two during our next trip. (we'll have both grandmas with us). Looking forward to hearing your plans

I've surprised them with the last 3 trips- so I guess I kind of set the foundation for her to think this is just another smokescreen for a surprise.

Even a kid-free evening or two would be great. I was hoping for that last trip, but it just never happened. I'll probably be posting about dining later on tonight

Thanks for reading!

 

[RMichael21]

Looks fun! I can't wait to read your trip report!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Looks fun! I can't wait to read your trip report!

Thanks

 

[HouCuseChickie]

OK...so tonight I shall post about food. Yes, we LOOOOOOVE food!!! And for those of you who have followed along in the past, you know we like our ADRs...to the point where I have great personal debates over what is the ideal ADR plan for our trip. And it's tricky this time...trying to get in the TS meals we enjoy and also partake in what F&W has to offer is going to be a challenge.

Either way- here's what I currently have booked...

Nov 7th
Dinner - Yachtsman - 7:30pm
*We have a fairly early arrival (barring any unforeseen issues - praying it's nothing like the "issues" in 2013), but I know we'll be at DHS before dinner because that should be the very first lighting of Osborne Lights for 2014.
Dessert - Beaches & Cream - 8:50pm
*I'm mixed on this...I love the idea of heading for ice cream after a nice dinner, but part of me wouldn't mind trying to head into Epcot afterwards for Illuminations. Illuminations is at 10pm that night, so there's even a chance we could do both since it's such an easy walk from BC to the IG, but I just don't know.

Nov 8th
Breakfast - Crystal Palace - 9:55am
*I booked a later breakfast rather than my fave pre-park opening slot as I was thinking I'd like to catch the rope drop show at MK, but I'm torn. This is one of my fave breakfasts on property (breakfast lasagna anyone???) and it will likely just be me making this meal. I will probably keep looking for an 8:05am slot since I think I'll have other chances to catch the rope drop show.
Lunch - Via Napoli - 12:55pm
* I really want to try this, but I have a feeling I'm going to drop it. Breakfast will be a lot of food...enough to make snacking around the world plenty. But, for now it's in my plans.
Dinner - A MESS!!!
Yes, my dinner plans are a mess. It's mainly because I can't decide what I want to do. This may be my only chance for some time to try V&As, so I have a 6pm booked. The problem, I know that DH won't appreciate this like I will. It's a lot of $ to spend on something you know the person won't truly enjoy. So, as an alternative - I have a Cali Grill ADR booked later on that night. The problem there, DH doesn't like that as much as I do. Still- I LOVE that setting. I may cancel both- and that opens up the door for Citrico's, but I'm hesitant considering some of the bad to mediocre reviews of late. Alternately, we might consider Flying Fish, Fultons, or even Jiko, but not sure if I want to make the trek to any of these.

Nov 9th
Breakfast - GFC - 7:15am
*Still on the fence about this, but I want to try the lobster benedict. This will also probably be just me.
Lunch - Le Cellier - 1pm
*This is another one that will likely be canceled, but I really want some pretzel bread and poutine. I could care less about the filet- been there done that- but pretzel bread...that's some serious business.
Dinner - Narcoosee's - 8:55pm
*We're hoping to time this one with Wishes. This is also our cake meal. Yay for CAKE!!!!!

Nov 10th
Breakfast - Kona - 7:30am
*Tonga toast anyone??? We're heading to Universal this day, so an early breakfast at Kona at our resort seemed to make the most sense before catching a ride to Uni. We're leaving dining up in the air for Universal.

Nov 11th
Late Breakfast - 1900 Park Fare - 11:10am
*I can never decide if I like this meal as much or more than Crystal Palace. The glorious pecan sticky rolls are just divine!

Dinner - Raglan Road - 7:30pm
*I really want to try this, I just hate the whole process of getting to DTD and back. I'm pretty sure we'll still do it, but I have some mixed feelings.

Nov 12th
Breakfast - Chef Mickey's - 7:10am
*I like to have a farewell meal with Mickey, but even more importantly- I get Donald with this meal. In case you didn't know...Donald is my fave.
Lunch - Sanaa - 11:35am
*We love love love Sanaa and really want to make this meal, but as we get closer to the trip- we'll have to see if it's even feasible with our DME pick up time.

So, those are the food plans for now. As always, opinions are welcome for our various dilemmas.

Next up....more trip details.

 

[TheMouseFan]

So glad you decided to post this!! Hopefully you will start feeling the excitement soon! Adult only trips are fantastic!! Can't wait to read more of your plans!

 

[Disney Toitle]

Woo-hoo! So excited for you! Looks like you have great plans for your trip.

 

[mrdrift]

Nice plans , someday I will be able to do a kids free trip. I love the food choices that you have made, boy I sure am getting hungry reading the dinning plans. Of course there is always room for cake !!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

So glad you decided to post this!! Hopefully you will start feeling the excitement soon! Adult only trips are fantastic!! Can't wait to read more of your plans!

It's crazy because I've wanted to go kid free for so long and have mornings in the parks on my own. I should be more excited. Work is going to get pretty crazy in October, so I'm hoping having WDW as the light at the end of the tunnel will help the excitement grow.

Woo-hoo! So excited for you! Looks like you have great plans for your trip.

Thanks!!!

Aww yay for you a kid free experience!! Love the plans so far - I'm hungry.

I know- I still can't believe we're doing this without the girls. It's going to be a whole new "World!" ...well, at least closer to it was in 1998, when we did our last kid free trip. Yeah- I can't think too much about our meals or I'll devour everything in this house!

Nice plans , someday I will be able to do a kids free trip. I love the food choices that you have made, boy I sure am getting hungry reading the dinning plans. Of course there is always room for cake !!

Thanks! It's funny- I say it's kid free, but this is really our chance to be the big kids Now to decide if I want to make a cake sketch or just put my faith in the GF. Decisions...Decisions!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Touring Plans...

Obviously, DH and I will have to sit down before 60 days and hash out a few things. I mean, having FP+ for things like the SDMT are going to be vital, but my mornings sort of complicate plans. See, I used a 3 point plan to bait (yes - bait!) DH into this trip.

Point 1- Food & Wine
- We were at WDW just days before the start of F&W last year. DH had mentioned wanting to partake in F&W at some point, so naturally I rolled with that in my baiting plan.

Point 2- Monorail Crawl, Epcot Resort Crawl and Other Drinking
- While we usually enjoy some beverages when we travel, it's nothing like it is when we're kid free. Let's just say he really liked the idea of a monorail crawl, so I pitched several crawl ideas that seemed to do the trick.

Point 3- Sleep
-Sleep??? Who has time to sleep at WDW? Well, DH is going to have that time. He's just not into the nostalgic attractions and stop & smell the roses type details like I am + the hectic touring makes him long for home a little too quickly, so he is going to sleep in nearly every day while I go and enjoy the early morning hours at the parks doing the things he just doesn't love.

So, in a nutshell, my mornings will afford me that experience of being solo at WDW...from dining to attractions. I also probably won't bother with FP+ for my solo mornings. I'm just not sure how much we're going to use them in the afternoons either as that's going to be our prime time for hitting the F&W booths. So, I guess we'll be going for FP+ in the evenings??? I guess in light of this- I can be pretty up in the air about my morning park plans...although, it would make sense to be at MK the day of my Crystal Palace ADR. Either way- it feels so strange to have so much freedom in my plans.

Oh -and before I forget... @Jessica Meier @DisneyDebNJ @ThatBrunette - I'm sorry- I forgot to tag people in the beginning.

Beyond this, I bought a new lens back in June. And since we're going to be kid free, I may just bring the tripod, remote, etc. and play around with photography. It's not a great park bag, but I treated myself to a comic tassel bag and I think I can fit all of my lenses and gear in there if I wanted to show my Disney side while toting around gear.

Oh, and one last thing on this subject...last trip was short and nobody wanted to watch Wishes. BLASPHEMY! I am watching Wishes multiple times this trip, even if it means I'm standing there all by myself while he does his own thing.

More to come...

 

[Jessica Meier]

Yeah!!!! You just made my morning of "my baby girl is starting kindergarten" a little brighter by starting your Pre Trip Report!!!! Thank you! Everything sounds Devine so far. I say don't make plans for your mornings and just do what you want. If that means riding "It's a Small World" over and over so be it!

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

I am SO happy for you and hubby!! (but feel bad for K and S) next time, girls! I know the Poly isn't going to be at her best... heck, Ill be there a few days before you! LOL But.... how much time do any of us spend in the GCH other than check in and meals?? Early mornings and evenings on the balcony will still be relaxing (as long as you ask for a longhouse that doesnt put you smack dab in the middle of the construction zone. The walk to TTC isnt going to be what it was but... its still the Poly!! LOL You really planned it out well!! Your *holy cow what to do for dinner*, just peruse the kiosks in WS on an Epcot night and *graze* thru the world! Im as excited for your trip as I am for mine!!! xoxo

 

[SharonD]

Relating to your dining dilemmas. We are going in late Sep, and I've skipped lunch ADRs to do Food & Wine ( also doing a couple early morning breakfasts without DH).

Looking forward to more.

 

[Upanova]

Looking forward to your Trip Report with your DH. My hubby and I don't have any kids so we've always been to the World without 'em. Wonder what it would be like with children. Loving your last Trip Report and looking forward to more!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Yeah!!!! You just made my morning of "my baby girl is starting kindergarten" a little brighter by starting your Pre Trip Report!!!! Thank you! Everything sounds Devine so far. I say don't make plans for your mornings and just do what you want. If that means riding "It's a Small World" over and over so be it!

I promise, it will get easier with her being in school. I'm sure Cadence loved it and had a great time. Glad the PTR came at a good time too. I do kind of want to see if they'll let me hop on IASW and just let me ride a few times without having to hop off. We shall see.

I am SO happy for you and hubby!! (but feel bad for K and S) next time, girls! I know the Poly isn't going to be at her best... heck, Ill be there a few days before you! LOL But.... how much time do any of us spend in the GCH other than check in and meals?? Early mornings and evenings on the balcony will still be relaxing (as long as you ask for a longhouse that doesnt put you smack dab in the middle of the construction zone. The walk to TTC isnt going to be what it was but... its still the Poly!! LOL You really planned it out well!! Your *holy cow what to do for dinner*, just peruse the kiosks in WS on an Epcot night and *graze* thru the world! Im as excited for your trip as I am for mine!!! xoxo

That's one of my concerns...picking the right longhouse. We're only going with a standard view room, so I think there are only 4 longhouses that are options. I also see that one of my room requests will have to be something with a balcony or patio. Tikiman's site is pretty informative, but without actually walking the grounds mid-construction...it's hard to know what's the best choice out of our possible options. We will still probably go for a TS dinner, but it's sounding more and more like it won't be V&A. At least we'll be "day-grazing" in the WS Still sad that our trips don't overlap

Relating to your dining dilemmas. We are going in late Sep, and I've skipped lunch ADRs to do Food & Wine ( also doing a couple early morning breakfasts without DH).

Looking forward to more.

That is more likely than not what we'll do with lunch as well, but I'm just having a hard time shaking the fear over the last weekend of F&W crowds. I guess there's at least still time to decide.

Looking forward to your Trip Report with your DH. My hubby and I don't have any kids so we've always been to the World without 'em. Wonder what it would be like with children. Loving your last Trip Report and looking forward to more!

DH and I went once as a couple- pre marriage/pre kids -back in 1998 and we had a total blast. Don't get me wrong...traveling with the kids is fun too, but it's kind of nice to travel without the stress of one of them not measuring up to a minimum ride height or deal with the begging over something like princess meet & greets. Plus the kids probably wouldn't appreciate dining and drinking around the world

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Just a quick update...

I thinned the herd. Yes, I cut all unnecessary dining.

Gone are:
1. Beaches & Cream - I only wanted ice cream, but a) I could just head to L'Artisan des Glaces in Epcot if I really want ice cream after our meal + ice cream WITH alcohol WINS b) knowing DH- he won't want dessert
2. Victoria & Albert's - The reality is that I would enjoy this A LOT more than DH. I also don't know if I want to devote nearly 4 hours to dinner this time around.
3. Via Napoli - I'm still worried that I won't love the pizza (that's the Jersey girl in me talking) and we really don't need TS lunch during F&W...especially with TS breakfast and dinner each day.
4. Le Cellier - I think some of you already know that I wasn't overly impressed the last time we dined here. It wasn't bad, but wasn't amazing either. Add on that poutine was the main menu item I was looking to have and we're in the middle of F&W- and there's just no point.

So, we currently have a 7:40pm ADR at Cali Grill on Nov 8th (instead of V&As). I'm still very mixed on this. DH isn't overly excited about it, but isn't hating it either. It's MK EMH, so I think that rules out Flying Fish, Fulton's, and Jiko as alternatives. Still, if we wanted to try something new, Citrico's or Artist Point are options- but I don't fully trust them.

On a related note, we're trying to come up with a plan B for our Universal day. I know summer crowds are impacting their wait times, but there have been waits reported as high as 4 hours for the new Gringott's ride, I saw 45 min for the wait just to get on the Hogwarts Express, and even Forbidden Journey was showing a 2 hour wait today. None of our prime "must do" Uni attraction qualify for Uni Express and I don't want to spend $140 pp to ride 2-3 things due to long waits. So, we may make a Blizzard Beach day of it if the waits continue to be bad. That also means we'd likely wing it when it comes to dinner that night. So, I'm going to start thinking about TS spots out of the parks that we can get at WDW last minute.

That's all for today.

 

[Jessica Meier]

Sounds like you got it almost all decided. I agree with the cuts. ADRs are great but part of the beauty of just an adult only trip would be just doing whatever you feel like doing. Its nice to have them so you can eat there if you want to, but maybe you decide you are just gonna spend everyday at Epcot this trip. Maybe you want to sleep in because you enjoyed the monorail crawl too much the night before. Its gonna be a great trip and yall will have a blast!

I would still like to do Universal, but I don't see Cadence being totally into Harry Potter by the time this trip rolls around. Maybe our next one after 2015. I would love it but I don't think the other two would as much. Carl has never read the books (sacriledge!) so he won't understand all the details and would probably want to spend all his time in Simpson's land (d'oh) and Cadence still isn't in to rides a ton yet. So its a no go for us this time around.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Sounds like you got it almost all decided. I agree with the cuts. ADRs are great but part of the beauty of just an adult only trip would be just doing whatever you feel like doing. Its nice to have them so you can eat there if you want to, but maybe you decide you are just gonna spend everyday at Epcot this trip. Maybe you want to sleep in because you enjoyed the monorail crawl too much the night before. Its gonna be a great trip and yall will have a blast!

I would still like to do Universal, but I don't see Cadence being totally into Harry Potter by the time this trip rolls around. Maybe our next one after 2015. I would love it but I don't think the other two would as much. Carl has never read the books (sacriledge!) so he won't understand all the details and would probably want to spend all his time in Simpson's land (d'oh) and Cadence still isn't in to rides a ton yet. So its a no go for us this time around.

Definitely pretty good with ADRs. I still think I'm going to keep stalking to update my Crystal Palace breakfast, but beyond that- not much needs to be done.

Kendall and Sammie both love Harry Potter, but with the height requirements, I can't justify bringing them to Uni until they can ride the bulk of the adult attractions. I've read all of the books and we all love the movies, so DH and I are pretty excited to go see it. Still, summer wait times and the lack of express for the HP stuff gives me concerns about dropping $140 pp to go to Uni. Mind you, it's summer, but the new Gringott's ride has been posting wait times in the 3-4 hour range, the Hogwarts Express between the parks has had waits in the 45-60 min range, and the Forbidden Journey HP ride has been sporting 2+ hr waits. If you hit them at peak line times- you're looking at 7 hours of waiting for 3 rides. We may have to just wait and use it as a break day (or a freebie Blizzard Beach day) if waits stay at this level...especially if they don't make these express pass rides.