Trip Report englanddg's Real Life or is this just Fantasy?

This is the start of the Pre-Trip Portion.

For the Trip Report Portion click here!

Some music to enjoy as you read...



It's been two years. But, we are finally going back. I suppose I should introduce myself.

I'm @englanddg and the kiddo is Kaylee or KK. I'm old, she's young (10), and we like Selfies.​

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I've been going to Disneyworld since 1983, where my parents took me and we stayed in Contemporary for the opening of EPCOT. This fostered an enjoyment of all things Disney (but especially the parks) that has lasted to this day. In the late 80's to mid-90's I had a Floridian Annual Pass and went 3 - 4 days a week most summers. I've also been to Disneyland California, which I adored, and on a Disney Cruise.

The kiddo has been to WDW 4 times, Universal once, and on one Disney Cruise (Fantasy - Western Caribbean).

Last year was a rather rough year, and I had to cancel my plans for our normal trip, as well as a family trip with my Grandfather. But, things are now back on track, and I'm back to doing Trip Reports!

This thread will be where I post pre-trip / packing / plans (and plan changes) / updates for the trip. At the end of this thread I will again attempt to do a daily trip report as seen with my Surf and Turf Adventure, which may be found here.​

Note, it is missing the last day. I will finish that and the video for that trip (which is halfway done) before the coming trip, and will post in that thread.

MDE set up, Magic Bands customized and ordered!

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Yeap, I bleed orange!

Current plans (booked) are as follows.
Friday - August 7 - Fly to DC (Reagan) and meet the kiddo. Take the Metro to a hotel (not yet booked) in Crystal City / Pentagon City.

Saturday - August 8 - Tour the Smithsonian and the National Mall with the kiddo. The last time we did this we did the Capital Tour. I think this time we'll try and do the White House or the Washington Monument (or both). Air and Space is a must, as both the kiddo and I have a thing for planes and space (ok...I may have influenced her tastes a bit with that...addicting her to Star Trek young...nah...that couldn't have anything to do with it...)

Sunday - August 9 - Fly to Orlando (MCO) mid-morning. Take a taxi to Leow's Portofino Bay Resort at Universal Studios. Hang out around the hotel pool (the kiddo now has 2 years of swimming lessons under her belt, the last trip she was just learning how to swim properly, and it's something we continued through Red Cross Swimming classes after the trip).

Then we'll walk Citywalk, grab dinner somewhere. Probably this place, because it intrigues me:​



But, the kiddo and I will just play that by ear.

Then go see Blue Man Group that night. This is a redo of a failed Blue Man Group experience we had last trip to Universal.

The whole experience is noted in my 2012 trip report, but the long and short of it is that it was rainy, the kiddo and I were soaked, and the twinkie stuff (mushed banana) getting splattered on her (we were front row, center seats, so we got the brunt of it) was just too much. The kiddo's mood was shattered, and she frumped the rest of the concert. So...now she's a bit older (and I'm smart enough to bring better ponchos to the show!), so we are gonna try it again.

I will contact Blue Man's Box Office directly to get the front row seats again. Maybe she'll get another Shadow Drum Painting?​



Monday - August 10 - IoA

Breakfast at the Three Broomsticks before opening. Then enjoy the park. No Dining Plan this time (though they did change it since my 2012 trip...in 2012, it certainly was NOT worth it). I want to try and have an early dinner at Mythos. But, we'll play it by ear. I do want to have a dagwood sometime on this trip as well. :hungry:

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Head over to Universal at some point through the Hogwarts Express (I've heard we need to experience it going both ways, that the "show" is different, so...) Hang out there and catch the Cinematic Spectacular Nighttime Show.

Tuesday - August 11 - Whatever Universal

Basically, just go spend time in the parks. No special plans. She is finally tall enough for all the coasters, so I guess I'll have to brave Rip Rocket! Hope it doesn't get stuck! ;)



Wednesday - August 12 - Morning at Universal, head over to our next stop mid afternoon.

I have 3 day tickets at Uni, so since we likely won't be back for another few years, we'll spend most of the day meandering through the parks.

However, we have places to go and meals to eat (a late dinner at Jikos).

So, picking up a taxi from Portofino, we'll head over to Animal Kingdom Lodge. I got a stellar deal on a Club Level room with a view of the Arusha Savanna. We'll have a late dinner at Jiko, and then nibble on club level goodies as we attempt to spot animals on the Savanna from our balcony with my new toy (ordered yesterday).

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That's a Bushnell Equinox Z Day/Night Monocular. It is capable of Image Capture and even records video. Should be fun!

Thursday - August 13 - Magic Kingdom

Breakfast at Cindy's at 8:05, and it's morning EM hours that day, so we'll head off to the rides after that. Can't wait to try out the Mine Train!

Lunch at Be Our Guest. I do hope they serve the Gray Stuff at Lunch service. I've heard it's delicious (I asked the dishes).

Dinner at Tony's Town Square. This is actually the first time that we've eaten there. I generally avoid Italian at Disney aside from EPCOT after a pretty poor experience at Mama Melrose a few years back, but I think it's worth a shot. I looked up pictures of it and I think it's worth a try!

Friday - August 14 - EPCOT

Breakfast at Cape May. Another new one for us. Then we'll hike through the International Gateway (rear entrance) of EPCOT.

Lunch at Teppan Eto

Dinner at Le Cellier

Saturday - August 15 - Leaving...or are we?

Ok, I played this trick on the kiddo last trip (and she wasn't too happy until she realized what was going on). After a breakfast at Boma, we're gonna head off to catch our transport. To where, you may ask?

Here... (and so this is the Real Life and it is Fantasy?)

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Got a veranda midship room, which is great. Last time I stayed in room 9172, which is aft with an oversized veranda. It was very nice, but one of the complaints I had was the vibration and noise from the engine during at sea days. And, since this cruise has a LOT of at sea days, I'm glad to be midship in room 6558. And, now that I know the ship better (I was SO LOST last time), I really like that placement.

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Sunday - August 16 - At Sea

Well, it's a day at sea. Which means...we do...whatever we want! The last cruise, once I got used to the vibe of a cruise, I found the at sea days were the most enjoyable. This Eastern Caribbean itinerary offers 4 days (including departure day) at sea, and I'm excited for that!

Monday - August 17 - At Sea

Ditto above. Catch a show, maybe a movie, play the interactive games, and enjoy the free food. :hungry:

The kiddo adored the kid's club last time, so I think I'll try and do Remy or Palo one of these days.

Tuesday - August 18 - St. Maarten

No idea, no plans. As I posted in the Disney Cruise forum, there are no Port Excursions listed for this port, so I guess we'll just make it up as we go along?

Wednesday - August 19 - St. Thomas, St. John

This is where I'm actually a bit torn. My daughter has family who live on St. Thomas who haven't seen her since she was 2, so we may meet them for Lunch or something. I haven't decided on an excursion (if we do one) either.

Thursday - August 20 - At Sea

Yeap, more chillaxing!

Friday - August 21 - Castaway Cay

Last trip, we just stayed on board. This time, I'm hoping to get out and we'll at least rent some bikes and snag some beach time!

Saturday - August 22 - Back on land...

<sigh>...tanned and fed, we'll head back on land, but the adventure isn't over yet! We'll hop the Magical Express back to our next and final leg of our journey...

Art of Animation!

We stayed at Pop the year this opened, and the kiddo really wanted to swim in the Nemo pool, but we couldn't (no pool hopping, tsk tsk...but at AoA with their keycard access gates, they take it REALLY seriously!)

At some point we'll head over to Hollywood Studios. We have a late lunch at Sci Fi Dine In (the Kiddos favorite, and frankly mine too...even over <gasp> Brown Derby!)

And a late dinner at 50's Prime Time, before heading over to see Fantasmic.

Sunday - August 23 - Go see the animals...

Ok, I dunno why this seems to happen every trip, but Sundays just "work" for Animal Kingdom.

Breakfast at Tusker House

Lunch at Yak and Yeti

Dinner at ?, then back to the hotel to chill out and relax around the pool!

Monday - August 24 - Disney Springs / Water Park

Here we'll hit up Typhoon Lagoon, and do some last minute shopping! I think we'll skip La Nouba this go around.

Breakfast somewhere...?

Lunch at T-Rex (ugh, I don't like the Landry's restaurants, but this is the kiddo's favorite, so this is for her)

Dinner at Raglan Road (yeah, that's for me...my second favorite (Bongo's is my favorite) at DTD).

Tuesday - August 24 - The end...see ya real soon!

Breakfast at Ohana (Tonga Toast!)

Lunch at Cindy's Royal Table

3pm Parade (Festival of Fantasy) and then a late flight back to DC where I'll crash overnight before heading back to ATL the next day.

So, there you have it! More to come later, but feel free to join in and chime in with any ideas / suggestions you may have!

So excited to be going back!

 
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englanddg

One Little Spark...
Original Poster
Schedule Update (Semi Final)



Once again, after making several modifications to FP+ and ADRs, my schedule has changed a bit. It's a "semi final" schedule as I'll review it once again in a few weeks, but this is the last major update I have outside of the DC portion of the trip until my payoff date for the final WDW leg of the trip.

So, here's how the itinerary looks, shall we?

Aug 7
  • Fly from ATL to DCA on Delta
  • Check into the Embassy Suites and meet up with the kiddo.
Aug 8
  • Breakfast at the hotel (free and freshly cooked! Nommers!)
  • Smithsonian and National Mall
  • Lunch?
  • Washington Monument at 7:30p
  • Dinner?
Aug 9
  • 9:25 flight with Jetblue from DCA to MCO. We'll arrive around 11:30. This should put us at Portofino Bay, with a taxi ride from MCO, around noon. I'm still debating if we get a limo or luxury black car just for giggles)
  • Go to the parks
  • Lunch wherever. I want to try Leaky Cauldron...we'll see what the kiddo's moods are.
  • Blue Man Group center front row seats at 7p
  • Explore Citywalk for an hour or so before going back to the hotel
Aug 10
  • Early morning swim?
  • Breakfast at Three Broomsticks at 10a
  • Lunch at Mythos at 2p
  • Dinner at Lombard's at 7p, with a Dessert Party / Special Viewing Area for the Cinematic Spectacular.
Aug 11
  • Cabana Bay and have breakfast at Bayliner? I really want to walk this resort for future planning and just to say I have...but I'm not sure if it will work out. I think the kiddo would enjoy a few hours to play in their pool as well, but this is still up in the air. One thing to note, unlike Disney, Universal DOES allow for pool hopping between resorts.
  • Something from the Crusty Burger area at Uni for Lunch
  • Not sure what to do for dinner. I think we'll just wing it. Probably something QS, as this day we'll hit the parks hard!
Aug 12
  • Trattoria del Porto at Portofino Bay for breakfast at 8a
  • Taxi over to AKL after breakfast. Again, not sure if we'll do a limo or town car just for giggles. Probably not.
  • Check in or drop off our luggage, then hop a bus over to Magic Kingdom, and from there a boat to Ft. Wilderness. Yeah, I've ruled out the bus (unless weather doesn't cooperate), as I'd really like to take the launch and ride the waves. If time is an issue though, we'll snag a taxi from AKL...but, ideally, that's how we'll get there.
  • 12:30p Horseback Riding at Ft. Wilderness
  • Take the Resort Shuttle to the Bike Barn and Trading Post for...
  • Fishing
  • 2:45p Archery Lessons
  • Head back to AKL and hang out around the pool, get settled in the room, whatever
  • 7:15p Dinner at Sanaa. I'm still iffy about this. I adore Jikos. But, I really want this trip to have "new" things for us to do.
  • Spend the rest of the evening setting up the webcam that I'm going to run from our balcony while the kiddo plays with the day/night monocular I bought and takes pictures, video, etc. of the animals as we gorge ourselves on complimentary club level goodies.
Aug 13
  • Magic Kingdom!
  • Breakfast at Cindy's Royal Table at 8:05...making sure to take pictures / video of the empty park!
  • 2:10 lunch at Be Our Guest
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at 3:05p - 4:05p
  • Peter Pan's Flight at 4:20p - 5:20p
  • Anna and Elsa Meet and Greet at 5:40p - 6:50p
  • 6:45 dinner at Tony's Town Square
  • We are gonna do MSEP and Wishes the old fashioned way, staking out a spot at the base of the Castle about an hour before the show.

Aug 14
  • EPCOT!
  • 8:45a Breakfast at Cape May. I'm still not sure about this one. It would mean I'd need to take an AKL bus to HS or EP, and then a return bus to the resort. I may cancel and try and replace it with something else, but there really isn't much to do for breakfast at EPCOT...
  • Spaceship Earth 10a - 11a
  • 12:30 Lunch at Via Napoli
  • Figment 2:05p - 3:05p
  • Soarin 3:20p - 4:20p
  • Nine Dragons at 6p
  • 8p Illuminations Sparkling Dessert Party. Still iffy about this, as I am against dessert parties as a whole, but we've never done one properly, and I thought...why not?
Aug 15
  • Breakfast at Boma at 8:55a
  • DCL Transit will pick us up, I suspect sometime around 10a - 11a, and we'll head off to Port Canaveral and the Fantasy!

Aug 16
  • At Sea - No plans yet

Aug 17
  • At Sea - No plans yet

Aug 18
  • St. Maarten
  • Nothing planned yet, but I'm considering the Create Your Own Perfume
  • PIRATE NIGHT! (the kiddo will be going as Elizabeth Swan, and I will be the Dread Pirate Roberts! I'll update when the costumes come in)
Aug 19
  • St. Thomas / St. John
  • The kiddo has family here who have said they'll plan our day for us. Still not sure what the plans are.
  • This is pretty much what I'd expect from them, I can't plan excursions because they say they'll have our day planned out, so I think this day I'll leave free. I love em, but hopefully they'll come through?
Aug 20
  • At Sea - No plans yet
Aug 21
  • Castaway Cay
  • Castaway Cay Getaway Package which includes bike rental for an hour (the kiddo loves to ride her bike), snorkel rental and tube rental for the day.
Aug 22
  • DCL should have us to Art of Animation around noon.
  • Downtown Disney / Typhoon Lagoon
  • 2:00p Lunch at T-Rex
  • 7:45 Dinner at Splitsville
  • La Nouba? Yes, we skipped it the past two trips. It's time to go back. I need to book tix tomorrow.
Aug 23
  • Animal Kingdom (I have no idea why AK ends up being a Sunday thing for us every year, but it does!
  • 8:20 breakfast at Tusker House
  • 1:30 lunch at Yak and Yeti
  • Snacks at Harambe. Yes, I'll point out the poo poo platter.
  • 7:15p dinner at San Angel Inn
  • Watch Illuminations again or go to DS/DTD (I can't wait for them to finish the full conversion so I can stop having to use both names when posting...)
Aug 24
  • Hollywood Studios!
  • Ohana for Breakfast at 7:55a
  • 10:15 to 11:15 Toy Story Midway Mania
  • 11:40a Lunch at Sci Fi Dine in
  • 2:25 - 3:25 - ToT
  • 4:05 Dinner at 50's Prime Time
  • 6:15 - 7:15 Star Wars
  • Watch Fantasmic today.
Aug 25
  • Last day..so sad.
  • Breakfast at Landscape of Flavors
  • 11:45 Lunch at Cindy's Royal Table
  • After the 3p parade, we'll head back to the resort.
  • 7:35p flight on Delta back to Washington Reagan. Arrive very late (11:45p)
  • Check into Residence Inn Arlington to crash for the evening.
  • Meet up with the kiddo's Mom to return her back to everyday life...

Aug 26
  • 10:45 return flight on Delta back to ATL
 

englanddg

One Little Spark...
Original Poster
Ok, some background...



I know you left me standing there



Out of the calm of the coldest air



I don't believe the words you said



But I can't find the words I want
Oh, I can't find the words I want

8678596773_fd0f2ec466_c.jpg
8678596773_fd0f2ec466_c.jpg


If you were gone in another life

9416034226_a96eae1941_c.jpg


I don't believe I would just survive

9413268549_c80dba0524_c.jpg


I could feel you next to me

7491899420_91f1952527_c.jpg


An escape from the world I'm in
Oh, I'm afraid of the world I'm in

9413293717_445629c0f6_c.jpg


One day I will see heaven's reach

9162946141_21dd46edc6_c.jpg
DSC00291

I'll find the one who left me sleeping

9162945721_fcd0735dd6_c.jpg


Every war was another seed

9413262649_0327806199_c.jpg


That could feed every soul in need

9420172686_e8994a1e52_c.jpg


Oh, I'm worn by the war in me

9416063366_0dbeabc3c2_c.jpg


Somebody found me here.
Somebody held my breath

9413287247_ea15a90e8f_c.jpg


Somebody saved me from the world you left

9417248115_0164c991dd_c.jpg


If you're gonna cry my tears

9484701346_2cde91ca7f_c.jpg


If you're gonna hold my breath

9481869729_6901e83754_c.jpg


If you're gonna let me see the sun you set



Oh, I am lost and found
Oh, I am lost and found

Interlude

 
Last edited:

englanddg

One Little Spark...
Original Poster
Looks like your planning is going fantastically! Glad to see you're planning to hit FW. Be sure to ask for a tour before you saddle up - the Headless Horseman horses are being trained around that time, and they're stunning.
Neat! What should we ask for, just a general tour?
 

LondonGopher

Well-Known Member
I miss my kiddo.

I, like you, have only the one child. I can't even imagine what it would be like to live apart from him. And when we are away from my DH for extended periods of time, it is just SO HARD for us all.

I'll never forget a flight we had - it was extremely turbulent - and my son was frightened, very frightened. He looked at me and said, "Mother, I want Father. Then I wouldn't be afraid. He would protect me." :cry:

Kids need their Dads. Dads need their kids. God bless you both.

...on a more superficial note...I am really enjoying this PTR. SO specific!!

Have you considered the Mitsitam Café for your DC lunch? It's in the Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian). Very cool to try some Native cuisine (and they have fry bread...:hungry:).

nmai.si.edu/visit/washington/mitsitam-cafe
 

englanddg

One Little Spark...
Original Poster
I, like you, have only the one child. I can't even imagine what it would be like to live apart from him. And when we are away from my DH for extended periods of time, it is just SO HARD for us all.

I'll never forget a flight we had - it was extremely turbulent - and my son was frightened, very frightened. He looked at me and said, "Mother, I want Father. Then I wouldn't be afraid. He would protect me." :cry:

Kids need their Dads. Dads need their kids. God bless you both.

...on a more superficial note...I am really enjoying this PTR. SO specific!!

Have you considered the Mitsitam Café for your DC lunch? It's in the Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian). Very cool to try some Native cuisine (and they have fry bread...:hungry:).

nmai.si.edu/visit/washington/mitsitam-cafe
GREAT idea! Fry bread! I haven't had that in years! :geek::hungry:

I was really disappointed last trip to Air and Space that they've redone the food court there with...well...fast food. Though, the kid didn't mind the McDonalds...I missed the more unique foods they used to have there.

I spent a lot of my youth in Springfield when my father was stationed at the Pentagon. Air and Space was a regular haunt!
 

englanddg

One Little Spark...
Original Poster
Really minor update. Cirque is booked. First time we've seen it since 2011. I'm curious because the talent has changed out due to retirements, and I heard the show is slightly different.
 

englanddg

One Little Spark...
Original Poster


This will be my last update until I get my next Mickey Mail (I'm still expecting 2 Magicband shipments, as well as my official DCL welcome packet...though, I'm not sure if they still do the ornate brochure they used to on my last cruise, but I'd be surprised if they didn't!)

So, I have finally paid off the entire trip. It feels fantastic. Though, I'm sure my bank account will disagree! ;)

That said, I've got a whole month to get my shopping kitty inflated, 3 payrolls, so, that's fine. One more trip done without credit! Yay!

My tickets for the Washington Monument came in, and while it's nothing exciting, I thought you all might like to see what their "welcome packet" looks like. So, with no further adue...









Nothing really to say about the tickets. They are just that...tickets. I booked it late so hopefully we'll get to see the sunset from the top of the monument (that historically happens around 8:13 pm, and I've never seen it (in fact, I haven't been to the top of the monument for over 20 years!). This should be fun. That said, the kiddo went to the Smithsonian last weekend, so I'm not exactly sure if we'll repeat that. We probably will, and we certainly have to do Air and Space.

Also, we are certainly doing lunch at Mitsitam Cafe in the American Indian History Museum! (thanks for the tip @LondonGopher !)

I looked up the menu, and it won me over! I'm anticipating some Buffalo Chili Indian Taco for lunch! Nom nom nom!

Menu - http://www.mitsitamcafe.com/content/summer menu 2015.pdf

Now that I'm fully paid off, it means that I can go ahead and do the online Check In. The online Check In window is

The process is rather painless. You get to the online check in through the "Reservations and Itineraries" screen.



You have the ability to set your expected arrival time. For me, I chose 9a for both reservations. This is because I plan to head over early from Portofino Bay for our Ft. Wilderness excursions! And, for our AoA arrival, we'll debark the ship early to get back, cause I want to squeeze out a day at DTD/DS!



You can also add amenity requests, but I didn't have any for AKL (I'm club level with an Arusha view already, not sure what else I can ask for?). For AoA, I requested highest floor with a garden view. I'm really hoping we'll have a nice view of the statues, pool, etc, but we shall see!)



Scrolling down you can add your credit card (which is already linked for me). This is the card that will be "tied" to your Magicband. The reality is that your Magicband is really tied to your resort room charges. When you max out your room charges, they'll use this card to clear your account. Or, you can call in and request the front desk clear it at any time (this is why I program the direct front desk numbers into my cell phone for every trip, but more on organization in a later update!). The different resort categories have different charge limits. For Deluxe, it is $1500. For Moderate, it's $1000. For Value it's $500. But, remember, they can be cleared out at any time during your stay, just ask!

You can also set up your pins. But, my MDE pins have already been set up. This is an issue though, because...well..I don't think I remember them! So, I'll need to figure out how to reset my pins, which will come up later.

But, moving on, after you accept the terms and click Done, Woody will process your requests! How nice of him!



And you get your confirmation, and that's that! Check in done!



Now, lets figure out how to change those pins!

So, I guess it's under my profile? Oh hey, what's this?



Yes, I'd like to manage my payment methods. And lookey lookey!



Pin updates a success! When I rendezvous with the kiddo, I'll allow her to set her pin. I think this time I'm going to allow her to purchase things, though, I'm still mixed about that...maybe I'll just do a gift card for her. :p



So, that's it for this installment! Next update will be when I get my next Mickey Mail, or when I finish the DCL online check in (which I still need to do). Cheers!
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
You really put 100% effort into your trip preparations. You and your daughter are adorable together in the pictures you've shared. This will be a happy vacation for the both of you. :)

The Fastpass+ situation might be getting a bit better, but to be honest with you, when I went to WDW back in May I thought it was complicated and wanted no part of it at all. (I was also confused as to whether I could use the parks card to set up an account prior to my visit--since I bought my card at the AAA office and not from Disney. I was not staying at a Disney hotel either.)

In 2014 (May) when I went, I did go to an in-park kiosk, that had a CM there. He somehow set up everything, but he went so fast, that I didn't know what he had done in the computer. The machine picked 3 attractions for me, but I didn't like any of them; so I didn't go to those and therefore, didn't use Fastpass+.

Your profession is very technical, so I'm glad that technical background helped you understand and navigate though the system. (I might look through your screen shots again, just to see if it helps me to understand the new system.) I'm happy that you were able to get the attractions and dates/times you wanted your upcoming trip.

When I visited WDW recently in mid-May, 2015; I was traveling solo, so I used the single rider lines on some of the rides and that seemed to work out better for me. I really miss the old paper, Fastpass, though. :(
 

englanddg

One Little Spark...
Original Poster
You really put 100% effort into your trip preparations. You and your daughter are adorable together in the pictures you've shared. This will be a happy vacation for the both of you. :)

The Fastpass+ situation might be getting a bit better, but to be honest with you, when I went to WDW back in May I thought it was complicated and wanted no part of it at all. (I was also confused as to whether I could use the parks card to set up an account prior to my visit--since I bought my card at the AAA office and not from Disney. I was not staying at a Disney hotel either.)

In 2014 (May) when I went, I did go to an in-park kiosk, that had a CM there. He somehow set up everything, but he went so fast, that I didn't know what he had done in the computer. The machine picked 3 attractions for me, but I didn't like any of them; so I didn't go to those and therefore, didn't use Fastpass+.

Your profession is very technical, so I'm glad that technical background helped you understand and navigate though the system. (I might look through your screen shots again, just to see if it helps me to understand the new system.) I'm happy that you were able to get the attractions and dates/times you wanted your upcoming trip.

When I visited WDW recently in mid-May, 2015; I was traveling solo, so I used the single rider lines on some of the rides and that seemed to work out better for me. I really miss the old paper, Fastpass, though. :(
I used FP+ in a test group in 2013 and didn't mind it very much. But, we still had the paper system up and running back then, so I got to double dip! <grin>

That said, I appreciate not having to rush around to FP machines, keeping track of tickets and expiry times, etc...so, I'm not completely against the system. I still think it needs some tweaks though (specifically for park hopping days!).
 

DisSplash

Well-Known Member
It's nice to have the trip paid off, isn't it? That is our plan for our Star Wars cruise. It's going slow, but steady ... we will get there!

I agree with your FP+ sentiment as well. We are not totally against it either as there was no real racing around the park or mobs or people at various locations trying to get the paper tix. Nonetheless, I will say that I did miss the satisfying sound the dispensing machine made as you got that coveted paper FP ... now it's just another marble in my nostalgic long-term memories...
 

englanddg

One Little Spark...
Original Poster
When I booked my current trip it was nice being able to pay it off all in one go, tho it had taken me a couple of years of slow saving to be able to do that lol
That's normally how I do it (save it up in advance), though I always wait until close to the actual pay date before I pay more than the deposit, simply because I'd rather the money accrue interest during that period rather than be in Disney's hands!

This past trip I had to handle a bit differently, for various reasons, but as soon as I get back, I'll start shoving money into the savings account again for a future trip! I get why some people put it on credit, but I really enjoy the feeling that it's completely paid off and debt free before hand!
 

englanddg

One Little Spark...
Original Poster
So, I joined a Fish Extender group for the coming cruise and now I'm starting to try and come up with unique gift ideas. I am so bad at this stuff. If left to my own devices, I'd probably just end up passing out Disney Gift Cards and calling it a day! But, I'd like to be a bit more unique than that! It's hard, cause reading through @sweetpee_1993 and other's reports, they are so craft oriented and thoughtful with this stuff...I feel like I have to put in at least a bare amount of effort! :p

At least (right now) it's a small group though. Just 8 cabins participating.

7 Female Adults
6 Male Adults (one turning 40 on the cruise)
10 Female Kids (Ages 5 (bday on cruise), 6, 6, 6 (bday on cruise), 9, 10, 10, 11, 12, 14)
3 Male Kids (8, 11, 11 (I'm guessing the two 11 year olds are twins...same family)
 

TheMouseFan

Well-Known Member
So, I joined a Fish Extender group for the coming cruise and now I'm starting to try and come up with unique gift ideas. I am so bad at this stuff. If left to my own devices, I'd probably just end up passing out Disney Gift Cards and calling it a day! But, I'd like to be a bit more unique than that! It's hard, cause reading through @sweetpee_1993 and other's reports, they are so craft oriented and thoughtful with this stuff...I feel like I have to put in at least a bare amount of effort! :p

At least (right now) it's a small group though. Just 8 cabins participating.

7 Female Adults
6 Male Adults (one turning 40 on the cruise)
10 Female Kids (Ages 5 (bday on cruise), 6, 6, 6 (bday on cruise), 9, 10, 10, 11, 12, 14)
3 Male Kids (8, 11, 11 (I'm guessing the two 11 year olds are twins...same family)
Etsy tends to have really cute, mostly inexpensive things for fish extender gifts. It could at least give you some ideas to get started!
 

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