Pre-Trip A 6-day, no...make that 12-day 4th of July Pre-Trip

Hello! One month out from our next trip and that means it's Pre-Trip Report time. If you haven't met our trio before I will warn you before you read too far that we are obsessive planners. The first spreadsheets and tables were made about 8 months ago and have been updated, revised, examined, evaluated, and re-evaluated at least a hundred times since then. The best part of all of that is that we rarely follow said plans! The way we see it, the more we plan and arrange our days, the more we know about possibilities and when things go awry (as they always do) the better chances we have of making things still work out!

Which brings me to the first point of order: the thread title. Last summer we made a 13-day visit to the world, dividing our stay between Bay Lake Tower, Yacht Club, and Old Key West (and yes, we are obviously DVC). We bought Premium APs during the big DVC discount sale to enjoy all the benefits during those two weeks. Then DW got into running and we decided to do the Tower of Terror 10-miler weekend (all the pics in this pre-trip will be from that one). A nice, extra 5 days use out of those APs! This coming summer we were NOT planning a Disney trip...but then, well...I got DW some Grand Floridian points for her birthday (minimum purchase - teacher salary doesn't allow for more!!) and we decided to do a relatively short visit this summer, just 2 nights at GF and 4 nights at OKW. Plans were made (and re-made) and then about a month ago, we heard about the Disney Soccer Academy. Our DD (10) really enjoys soccer. She's not a star athlete, but loves to play - and yours truly is a soccer nut (play, coach, watch, read about, etc). The last session of the program nicely coincides with the end of our trip, so we added another 5 nights (2 at OKW, 3 at SSR) by renting some points and here we are. Turning a 6-day trip into a 10-day trip, with the 4th of July in there, and 4 days of soccer camp for DD. Now, on to the actual plans!

 

[brifraz]

Here's the team from last Fall.



DW and I are both high school teachers - she teaches English and I teach Music. DD is 10. In that shot, we are relatively well rested. Not usually the case on our first day or so. We hail from Northern Maryland and always drive to the World. 930 miles. This time we will be leaving straight from a music camp that I work at and DD is attending. We'll hit the road after the farewell concert on June 28th at about noon. That means we should hit Disney at 7am the morning of the 29th. The drive itself is around 15 hours, but we plan in about 4 hours of breaks and driver switches.

Day One
So, Sunday morning, we'll roll into the Grand Floridian lobby (looking quite a bit the worse for wear) and get checked in and quickly wash up in the restrooms. Usually we hit one of the parks for opening on the first day and get touring right away, but as the years have gone by, we've started to realize that maybe that first morning should be a little slower pace. Thus, this time we will be visiting Blizzard Beach on the first morning. DW and I can trade off doing water activities with DD and taking naps in a lounge chair.

By mid-afternoon, we hope to be able to sneak into our room and also make a quick visit into Magic Kingdom and catch the new parade. Then it will be back to Grand Floridian for dinner at 1900 Park Fare. If you've read some of our older trip reports you will know of our love for this character meal. DD has dressed as Drizella and Anastasia in the past and while she is (according to her own decision) too old to dress up anymore, we still love the meal and the character experience.

After dinner, we expect to be re-energized (usually are) and will head back into MK to visit Tomorrowland. We have FP+ for Buzz and Space Mountain and will likely also visit Monsters Inc Laugh Floor and Carousel of Progress. Hoping that Peoplemover might be open during the visit as we always enjoy a ride or two, but it isn't looking all that likely. We also have FP+ to visit with Mickey, but are considering changing those to Wishes viewing area. Should be a relatively early night after Wishes as we will need the sleep!

 

[brifraz]

Day 2
You might think we need to sleep in, but we know our family's habits and there is little to no chance of that. So, EMH at Animal Kingdom is where you will find us on Monday morning! Mainly a visit to Asia and DinoLand and hopefully catching a Nemo show and Flights of Wonder. DD loves Flights....wonder why??



And I'm sure we will do at least one ride with our Yeti friend (he's considered a friend since he doesn't really move to attack us, just stands sentinel over the train tracks). This might be DDs favorite ride - it is certainly right up there.



Dinner on Day 2 will be at Citricos at GF. We've never been, but have some friends who swear by it, so we're giving it a try! After dinner, we're doing another evening at Magic Kingdom with FP+ for the Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain. Those FP+ are all done by a little after 9pm, so we will likely hit some other Fantasyland/Frontierland rides during the fireworks/parade time when lines clear out a bit.

 

[brifraz]

Day 3
On July 1, we'll be up early to check out of Grand Floridian because we still want to hit Epcot EMH! That means the brisk morning walk to Soarin' which will be followed by Nemo and then some time in Innoventions (mainly for Sum of All Thrills). We have later morning FP+ for Test Track and Mission:Space and hope to find ourselves at 11:30am at one of our favorite spots in the World to relax. Hopefully we will meet up with some old friends there.



We'll grab some food from the Boulangerie or some Fish and Chips for me and enjoy a beverage or two because the afternoon is pretty open with a maybe-we-will-maybe-we-won't FP+ for Spaceship Earth at 2pm. We plan to leave Epcot around that time and (hopefully) get into our room at Old Key West. Once we are settled in, we'll take a boat to Downtown Disney for some bowling and dinner at Splitsville and perhaps a short visit to DisneyQuest, which DD still loves!




Don't say I didn't warn you about the planning approach. Bear in mind, these are vastly different from the original plans for a 6-day trip! And I'm sure when I do the 'live' trip report while we are there, things will turn out vastly different. But these are what we are going with now and we feel like these will be some pretty good days! More later.

 

[stevehousse]

Great plans so far! Just be weary of dining at Citricos because their menu ha recently changed! They no longer have the veal shank on the menu
I wanted to try the restaurant this coming Nov trip, and that's what I wanted to order, but we switched to Yachtmans Steakhouse after we realized that menu item was gone.

Enjoy your trip! Can't wait to hear the rest of your plans!

 

[melmel89]

your plans sound awesome so far, enjoy your trip

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

Wow awesome plans have a great trip!!

 

[brifraz]

Day 4
OK, we're up to July 2nd and hopefully fully settled into our relaxing home resort of Old Key West. Don't worry - that doesn't mean we aren't up and at 'em early! Animal Kingdom has morning EMH, so we will be there. If we play our cards right (and DD continues a long standing tradition of extreme politeness and friendliness with Cast Members), maybe we will get to be the 'first family' on the safari that morning.



It was quite fun being the people who everyone has to stay behind as you walk from the front of the park to the Safari at opening. We will also be visiting Rafiki's (haven't been in a couple years) and hope to catch the morning show of Festival of the Lion King in its new home. After the show, we'll grab lunch at Pizzafari or head back to OKW for some relax time at the pool (which means relax time at the Gurgling Suitcase, too).

Later in the afternoon, we will be heading to Studios to see Indiana Jones (I have a sneaking suspicion that it might not be there in another year or so) and then use some FP+ for the Tower of Terror and RnRC. We are also planning to visit the Animation Tour and perhaps one (or more) sessions with the animators. We love those!



Who knows what else will be in store that evening. Perhaps just some wandering in Studios, or maybe add some more FP after we use up the FP+ for the day. Nothing is planned, but with another early morning coming up, we might just go to bed early (or back to OKW for some more pool/Gurgling Suitcase time).

 

[mrdrift]

The plans sound fantastic. Will be watching for the trip report.

 

[brifraz]

Before we get into day 5, as mentioned earlier our plans tend to change. We've just added a BOG lunch FP+ (and pre-booked meal) to our first day. So, after some water park time, we'll be getting to MK by 1pm for some lunch before the parade.

Day 5
Finally, a lazy morning! Well...kind of. No park in the morning, just Ohana breakfast reservations at 8:25am. This will be our first time at Ohana and we are very excited about it. Hard to believe with all of our trips, we've never been! After breakfast, we are planning for some Fantasia Gardens miniature golf. Just a (relatively) lazy morning. Perhaps some pool time and just general relaxation until mid-afternoon. We have the super-late lunch reservations at Liberty Tree Tavern at 2:50pm and again, it is our first time at the restaurant. After lunch it is time for another first - first meeting with Anna and Elsa (FP+ around 4pm). Then we plan to stick around the back of MK and visit the Hall of Presidents, maybe some time at Tom Sawyer Island. Later in the evening, we have FP+ for Haunted Mansion (DWs favorite) and the Seven Dwarves Mine Train. We might switch those FP+ to the 4th of July fireworks (yes, on the 3rd) if they ever are available! Since MK has EMH until 3am on this night, we are planning/hoping to have a pretty late night visiting Fantasyland, New Fantasyland, and Storybook Circus attractions. But, we shall see how tired we really are!

Sorry for the day of Pre-Trip without pics, but nothing really fit since we are doing many new things.

 

[brifraz]

Day 6
July 4th was to be our last day with a departure the next morning, but now it is just the mid-way point of our visit! We're going to sleep in (especially if we find ourselves seeing this sight again on the previous night).



Sleeping if for this clan is likely maybe 8 or 9am at the latest. Even then, we'll relax in the room for a bit longer and then plan to get to Epcot right around World Showcase opening. We plan to work clockwise around the world during the late morning and then head to the Boardwalk for lunch at ESPN Club (and to catch some World Cup soccer on the big screens). Then lazily back into Epcot and over to the Land for FP+ for Living With the Land (one of my favorite attractions) and eventually dinner at Garden Grill. Really hoping that it will be revolving again by the time we get there!

After dinner, we'll just be hanging out around Epcot waiting for the 4th of July version of Illuminations which we have FP+ for. We've heard that the viewing area is excellent and since we usually watch from next to the America pavilion, it will be nice to see things from the other side - especially the 4th tag.

 

[FlaggNL]

Sounds more than great

 

[brifraz]

Day 7
Now we are into what we are going to call Bonus time! These are the couple of days between the end of our original vacation and the Disney Soccer Academy starting. DD is quite excited about having these days. Years ago we took a trip and added a night at the very last minute at All Star Music. That extra night and day has become the thing of legend around here...the bonus day! Well, we hope this time it lives up to expectations!

We're back to early rising on the 5th, so we can take some advantage of Studios morning EMH. We plan to get in quick and do the Tower and RnRC before the crowds arrive. Figuring that the masses will be going toward Toy Story, we have an FP+ for it at 10am. Hopefully by that point, we'll have done ToT and RnRC at least once each (DD loves them both), plus gone to see the Little Mermaid's Voyage. After shooting the Toys, we'll mosey our way over to my favorite of all attractions anywhere (which have more humor in the signs in the usually closed weave than most of the rest of Disney).



We will then wander for a bit until FP+ at Star Tours a little before 11am, likely grab some counter lunch and then FP+ for Tower of Terror on our way out around noon.

The best part about bonus days is we usually only plan them for half a day. The other half is open to whatever! Some pool time, or a visit to DisneyQuest, or maybe go into a park. Who knows?! (why can't I find the interrobang key on my keyboard)

 

[brifraz]

And now the plans become quite brief as we haven't really fleshed everything out yet (and may not do that at all)

Day 8
DD's last day before Soccer Camp starts - so quite a bit of relaxation is planned. Sleeping in, boating over to Downtown Disney, a little shopping. We have lunch reservations at Raglan Road and then back to OKW for some more down time - likely pool and Gurgling Suitcase time! Not sure where dinner will come from, but we have FP+ for Epcot attractions that evening. So, we will likely head over to Epcot for after dinner for Soarin', Mission: Space, and Spaceship Earth. Or not. We shall see!

Day 9
Up early to get things packed for a hotel move later in the day and so DD can get ready for the Disney Soccer Academy! We'll get her all checked in and official paperwork filled out and then we'll make the move from OKW to Saratoga Springs. Grown up time until 3pm pick-up time at the camp, so...who knows! Once we pick her up, though, we are planning to pool hop over to Art of Animation for pool time and dinner at Landscape of Flavors. DD will likely be pretty tired, so we are planning to be to bed early.

Day 10
Now, the Soccer Academy day officially starts at 9am and Epcot has morning EMH at 8am....so, yup, we're planning to hit Soarin' at 8am before taking DD to camp. We'll see if it really happens! DW and I will likely spend some time at Epcot hanging out with friends at Rose and Crown during the day. Then, we have some evening FP+ at Studios for after we pick up DD - ToT, Toy Story Mania, and Little Mermaid. Again, we'll see how much we actually do!

Day 11
Again, morning EMH at Animal Kingdom are a possibility. We've done the quick hit morning EMH at AK before - on our arrival day once we went in, hit Everest, and left. And that is what we will likely do! Day plans for DW and I are still pending, but after camp, we're going to head to MK and catch the boat to Fort Wilderness for dinner at Trail's End. Then back to MK to visit Adventureland (yes, we haven't visited it, yet!!!). We have FP+ for Pirates and Jungle Cruise (and Splash Mountain too) and might do a SOMK adventure if we have time and aren't too tired.

Day 12
Well, this is the end. MK morning EMH, so maybe a commando visit to Space Mountain. DW and I will head back to the room after dropping of DD and get all packed up into the car for the long journey home later in the day. We plan to go watch the soccer camp for much of the day and grab lunch somewhere. At 3pm, we'll leave the WWoS and head north. And hopefully by 8am the next day we will be back home and asleep in our own beds!

There you have it. 12 days at Disney, almost double the initial plan. Yikes!

 

[dancingtodisney]

Wow great planning! So jealous your trip is so soon.. feel like ours is an eternity away (24th October)

We only planned on having 10days of our trip in Disney but we extended it for the full thing (18nights)... it's hard to resist!

 

[LisaBelle]

Sounds like a fun trip. You guys are great planners. I love the planning, too. My family thinks I'm nuts, but you guys take it to a whole new level. Love it! Have an awesome trip!

 

[xStephSaysRawr]

I'll be there for July 1st - 4th! I hope DD has fun at the soccer camp!

 

[mrdrift]

Sounds like some solid plans. Enjoy your trip and tell your DD to have fun at soccer camp.

 

[FlaggNL]

Very great plans!! Enjoy the pre feelings as much as we do

 

[brifraz]

Well, we leave tomorrow morning. Quite a bit of excitement! Although that is tempered a bit by DD and I being at music camp this week (she is a student, I am a teacher), which means she is living at a college dorm all week and I am working 9am-9pm each day.

Which means, of course, that at 9:30pm each night when I get home, DW and I are looking at and revising plans! The only really big change is that on July 5th, when we are already in Studios, we will be taking part in the insanity of the first day of the Frozen Summer activities. Hoping to catch the first parade and at least one of the first shows - realizing that both may not be possible with the lines that will be there!

For the first time, DW is doing almost all of the packing and is getting as crazy about it as I usually do - luckily, my mind is so focused on work most of the time this week that I haven't been able to get too crazy. I just hope we can both sleep tonight!!