Pre Trip Report & Itenerary

Pre Trip Report & Itinerary

First off, let me say that my trip isn't until December of this year (2010)! :brick:But, I can't freakin' wait so I'm posting this now!!

My name is Jon and I live in North Carolina (Go Tar Heels!). I am 32 years old and married to the woman of my dreams who got me turned on to Disney and now I'm a WDW Freak! I have been to the World 4 times in my life. I went once when I was about 10 years old with my parents and brother, once with my school when I was in the 10th grade, then in February of 2006 with my girlfriend (now wife) and her family and my last trip was in January of 2008 with my fiance (now wife) and her family again. I've been ready to go back since I walked out of the Magic Kingdom that last night in January 2008...

Here is my tentative itinerary:

Saturday Dec. 4 - Arrive at Walt Disney World - Fort Wilderness Campground. My in-laws have a HUGE 5th Wheel Camper so we love to stay at the campground. It's SOOOO much cheaper and we spend all our time in the parks, so it just makes sense for us. We drive all the way from North Carolina so we usually stop to spend the night near the GA/FL line on Friday night. We will finally arrive at the WDW Resort around lunch time on Saturday and proceed to check in at Fort Wilderness. After we take time to set up the camper, grab a few things from the outpost, and explore the campground for a bit, we will proably either head over to the Magic Kingdom or go over to Downtown Disney (if not both) and then come back to rest up for our first full day in the parks!
Sunday Dec. 5 - Animal Kingdom. We usually grab a quick breakfast on our way to the bus stop. Probably a pop tart or something like that. :rolleyes:We always make a B-Line straight for Kilimangaro Safaris as soon as the ropes drop because the best time to see the animals are first thing in the morning. But this time, I think I'm going to get everyone's card ticket and sprint toward Expedition Everest and get us all Fast Passes and then meet the rest of my crew at the Safaris. I want to try some of the different restaurants in Animal Kingdom this time because in the past we just grabbed something quick.
Some of my cant' miss attractions in DAK are: Expedition Everest (my favorite in this park and overall in WDW), Kilimangaro Safaris, It's Tough to be a Bug, Festival of the Lion King, Kali River Rapids, Dinosaur and of course all the trails (I love animals). We always close out a day at Animal Kingdom by visiting the Rainforest Cafe! The atmosphere there is just awesome!
Monday Dec. 6 - Hollywood Studios. We always like to be at the parks at rope drop, so DHS is no exception! The last time I was at WDW, Toy Story Mania was not there yet... so after reading all the trip reports and ridiculous wait times for this attraction, I'll go there first and either ride and then get fast passes or just get fast passes for later. DHS is probably my favorite park... well I love them all, but I really like this one. It has my 2nd favorite attraction at Disney (TOT) and my 3rd favorite (RRC), not to mention great shows!
My can't misses for Hollywood Studios are: Tower of Terror, Rockin' Rollercoaster, Beauty and the Beast, Star Tours (Can't wait for the new one!), Great Movie Ride, Blacklot Tour, Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, Muppet Vision 3D, Lights Motors Action and of course Fantasmic!
Tuesday Dec. 7 - Sea World. I know, I know. We cheat on Disney one day during our trip, but we love Sea World! Nemo forgives us every time. :kiss: We don't go all day without getting a taste of Disney though... First thing in the morning we will be driving over to the Contemperary Resort for breakfast at Chef Mickey's! This is our favorite character meal EVER! So yummy!! After that, it's off to Sea World for the day. Sea World closes around 6:00pm so we normally come back to the campground and then hop on over to which park is having EMH that night! You've got to love the fact that the Park Hopper option only goes up by like $3 a day after like 5 days! I mean, $3 to spend three or four hours in a Disney park? That's a deal you can't beat!
Wednesday Dec. 8 - Magic Kingdom - Ahhhh, the classic Disney park! How can you not just love it!?! I love scheduling a breakfast at either Crystal Palace or Cinderella's Castle before the park opens just so I can walk down Main Street USA when it is empty... It's just awesome. I love to snap a few pictures of the park and castle with nobody in the park and then snap a few shots later when it gets crowded. What a contrast! Anyway, we never really have a touring plan for Magic Kingdom, so we just explore all day and ride until Wishes lights up the night sky... I do want to try a Dole Whip on this trip (never had one before) and I also want to do the Jungle Cruise at night. My can't miss attractions for MK are: Space Mountain, Splash Mountain (It was closed for refurb on my last visit:mad:), Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear, Carousel of Progress and the TTA! I love all the shops along Main St. USA and all the places to eat! This park is truly magical!
Thursday Dec. 9 - EPCOT - EPCOT is another one of my favorites! I get excited just thinking about it! First things first - we sprint to Soarin' and then we get fast passes for it for later. We spend a little time in Future World and do all of our favorite attractions there along with the Land and the Seas with Nemo and Friends. Then, my favorite part, World Showcase! I love going to and exploring all of the countries, trying the food and browsing in all of the shops! A day at Epcot is not complete without taking in Illuminations! What an awesome display! My Epcot can't misses include: Soarin', Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land, Mission:Space, Test Track, the American Adventure and Maelstrom.
Friday Dec. 10 - I have nothing planned for this day as of yet, but it will probably consist of hitting all of the parks and doing our favorite attractions one last time before heading home or grabbing that souvenir that we passed on earlier in the week.

I hope you guys enjoyed the rough draft of my tentative itinerary for my WDW trip that is still several months away! Oh well, the time will fly and it will be here before I know it! I'll update as plans fall into place... Until next time....
:wave:
 

LiveyMouse22

Active Member
It's a great idea to have an itinerary like this. For the past couple of years my family and I have decided to plan what we'll do every day and it really saves a lot of fun Disney time!

The fastpass sprint for some of the major attractions in the different parks is always a great idea that we always take advantage of to make sure we ride all of our "must-sees" also.

Have a great time planning and enjoying your vacation!:wave:
 

MEyeSeeKayEY

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks guys. I know my plans will probably change a little between now and then, especially when the park hours are released six months out. I may have to change my days around depending on extra magic hours, etc. Also, I have to see the parades, shows and fireworks!
 

blackthidot

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
You are a better man than me...I couldnt be there THAT long and not be at Magic Kingdom!!!!

Have a blast though!
 

MEyeSeeKayEY

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Disneyprincess5- I actually scheduled this trip in early December because Splash Mountain will be open! In the past we've gone to WDW in January or February because of the low crowds, but this year I wanted to ride Splash and see the Christmas lights! Plus, after doing some research, I found that the first week in December is a great time to go for light crowd levels and lower chances of rain.
I'm already starting to plan our NEXT Disney trip :D(which will be just my wife and I) for late September 2011 for our 3 Year Wedding Anniversary. I wanted to experience the parks in a warmer month and still have lighter crowds (after the kids are back in school). We also want to try out Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon since we've never had time to do the water parks. The only negative I have found is the higher chance of rain in September but hopefully toward the end of the month, we won't see much!
 

MEyeSeeKayEY

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
blackthidot- I'll probably sneak over on our arrival date since we don't have anything else planned. You're right, I'd have to be crazy to not go to the Magic Kingdom first! Thank God for the Park Hopper!!
 
Sounds great. I hope you have a great time and that the time goes fast until you leave.
We went this past December-first week. We enjoyed it, though it rained more than I thought. I think this past Dec/Jan was a fluke for weather in Disney. Hopefully you will get better weather. The xmas decorations are awesome- gets you in the spirit.
Did you ever do the Nemo show in AK? I went for the first time in December and it was pretty cool.
 

rsoxguy

Well-Known Member
I hope that this year goes well for you. It sounds as though the anticipation is nearly as fun as the trip! Have fun planning!
 

MEyeSeeKayEY

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
lovingdisney- We did the Nemo Musical on our last trip (Jan 2008) and it was pretty good, not something I would HAVE to do every time. It's definately different and something I would recommend seeing at least once though.
My wife and my in-laws said that the Tarzan show that used to be where Nemo is now was much better. I never got to see it...:shrug: but hearing them talk about it makes me wish I had!
 

MEyeSeeKayEY

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
rsoxguy- the anticipation and planning are fun, but not as fun as actually being there! I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas to come. Haha. I'm sure time will fly by being busy at work and just going about everyday life. Thanks though.
I'm a HUGE Red Sox fan also. I've been to Fenway twice (both before 2004 BTW) How do you think they will do this year with all of the off season moves? I hope they do well and get back to the Series! Go Sox!
 

disneygirl1

Well-Known Member
Woo Hoo! We will be there the same time! December is soooo far away, but I can't wait! We are going 12/3-12/11 staying at POP. Have you been there during the holidays before? It's my favorite time of year to visit Disney! :xmas:
 

MEyeSeeKayEY

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
disneygirl- Those are the EXACT dates we will be there! We've never been during the Holidays before so we are super excited!! We'll be at Fort Wilderness, but maybe we'll run into each other...
 

blackthidot

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
Disneyprincess5- I actually scheduled this trip in early December because Splash Mountain will be open! In the past we've gone to WDW in January or February because of the low crowds, but this year I wanted to ride Splash and see the Christmas lights! Plus, after doing some research, I found that the first week in December is a great time to go for light crowd levels and lower chances of rain.
I'm already starting to plan our NEXT Disney trip :D(which will be just my wife and I) for late September 2011 for our 3 Year Wedding Anniversary. I wanted to experience the parks in a warmer month and still have lighter crowds (after the kids are back in school). We also want to try out Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon since we've never had time to do the water parks. The only negative I have found is the higher chance of rain in September but hopefully toward the end of the month, we won't see much!

Now we are talking!!!
 

disneygirl1

Well-Known Member
disneygirl- Those are the EXACT dates we will be there! We've never been during the Holidays before so we are super excited!! We'll be at Fort Wilderness, but maybe we'll run into each other...

Awesome!!! You are going to absolutely love it during the holidays! Be sure to check out Osborne Spectacle of Lights at DHS, it is simply amazing... Candlelight Processional at Epcot is great too!!! You are going to love it!!!

Maybe we will run into each other:) That would be pretty cool. Looking at your itinerary there is a good change we will be at the Animal Kingdom the same day!!! :sohappy:
 

rsoxguy

Well-Known Member
rsoxguy- the anticipation and planning are fun, but not as fun as actually being there! I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas to come. Haha. I'm sure time will fly by being busy at work and just going about everyday life. Thanks though.
I'm a HUGE Red Sox fan also. I've been to Fenway twice (both before 2004 BTW) How do you think they will do this year with all of the off season moves? I hope they do well and get back to the Series! Go Sox!

Their lack of power-hitters is a bit of a problem. I'm glad that Varitek is a backup instead of a starter. His physical abilities have greatly diminished. Their defense looks solid. The starting pitching looks good, although I question Lackey's ability to remain healthy. The bullpen is looking better every day. I used to worry more about the Sox, but I have learned in the past few years that life is far more important than grown men playing a kid's game. Still, it would be exciting to see them go all the way this year. BTW, I went to Fenway for several games in '04. I saw Schilling and Pedro pitch that Summer. It was great!
Anyway, I will repeat my sentiment that you have a good year, and I hope that your trip to WDW exceeds your expectations. Go Sox!
 

DecWDW

Member
I'll be there then too! I love the Ft. Wilderness area! It always seems so peaceful and beautiful. We'll be at Animal Kingdom Lodge this year. I know what you mean about not wanting to wish your life away. lol
 

Mikester71

Well-Known Member
Thanks! I hate to wish my life away, but I hope this year flies by!

I hear ya!! I am wishing it were March 12, 2011 right now, so that we would be checking in to Pop Century right about now! But isn't half the fun the anticipation leading up to the trip....the whole countdown thingy!!! Have been counting down since we got back from our last trip last March (722 days out at that time), and today I finally hit the 400 day mark! It really does fly by! :sohappy:
 

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