Pre-Trip Family Return to WDW - Take 2

HouCuseChickie · Jan 6, 2021

RememberWhen said:
Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your plans!

Thanks!!!

BigDis · Jan 6, 2021

Definitely following. Looking forward to hearing more.

HouCuseChickie · Jan 6, 2021

THE MAIN PLAN

While some people hate it, we have been blessed with a school district that has found ways to give the kids more breaks. It does mean a shorter summer break, but it allows for a fall break in October, Thanksgiving week, a little over 2 weeks around Christmas and New Year's, a winter break week in February, and a spring break week in March. Due to work constraints, I can't travel during the October break, but this February break is such a blessing IMO. We can travel at a time when crowds and prices are lower, meaning my $ stretches farther than it did when we were resorting to traveling over Thanksgiving or Christmas breaks.

We initially thought about flying...in fact, last time we were at WDW, my husband said we are never driving again. While Covid certainly has impacted his feelings on flying, vehicle comfort turned out to be a part of this equation. Since our last WDW family visit, we've taken a number of destination road trips. Sure, we flew into our starting point, but we literally drove thousands of miles in our rental SUVs without a whimper or whine about comfort. The 2020 summer road trip was only 8 days, but we drove over 2,000 miles and everyone said the ride in the new vehicle was super comfy. So, as long as I don't have any issues with the A/C come back up (or any other unknown issues), I think we're back to being good with driving. It's not as bad with Disney, but when I look at the cost of air into smaller airports combined with multi week SUV rentals, the budget will thank me for driving.

DAY 1

Ok...so the short version of that...we're driving

We're leaving on a Friday, which means the kids will miss a day of school BUT with so many virtual options, I'm planning to bring along the laptops and have them catch up on whatever they missed. Our day 1 goal is to make it to Tallahassee. It's doable, but I know there are some areas in Louisiana and Alabama that could add significant delays. I also think we're going to get take out as well as pack some road meals on ice, so I'm hoping to save some time by just stopping at rest areas to eat picnic style. It should save some time and $. Oh...the other big issue...we lose an hour going from the central to eastern time zone. BUT...it is what it is.

DAY 2

Drive to WDW! If we are dragging or somehow don't make it to Tallahassee and wind up spending the night in Pensacola, I will probably cancel Beaches & Cream. I think the rest in Disney Springs is doable, regardless of where we start from that morning.

DAY 3

Park pass is for Hollywood Studios. I know they are opening up a form of hopping, and my parents may take advantage of this since they are APs, but I just didn't see the value in it for us. My husband and the kids haven't seen Galaxy's Edge or Toy Story Land, and I wound up riding none of this when I was there last January, so new is really going to be the focus. Obviously, RotR is the number 1 goal. I think Slinky Dog is probably #2.

DAY 4

Park pass is for Epcot. I love Epcot...even in it's current state...I love Epcot. So, it makes me kind of sad that we're only getting 1 day. Still, the last time we were in Epcot as a family, we were struggling to find things to do by 4pm. My parents are going to be meeting us today. My dad is debating about renting an ECV, so I don't know how it's going to impact touring, but assuming we get into the park before them (since they're driving up that morning), first goal is Test Track. After that...who knows. We all miss the old Soarin' and don't enjoy the bending landmarks, so we'll see.

I also hadn't noted this before, but the girls are now 12 and 14 (yea, I still haven't introduced any of us yet - ooops

). This is the first day I could see letting them go off on their own. I'm not sure I'm ready to have them leave a park just yet and move around beyond the boundaries, but this may be where we get in some rides in the morning as a family, and then split up in the afternoon. I see us enjoying the World Showcase while the kids line up for more rides. At least they both have phones and I can track them. I was also planning on getting them each a couple of gift cards so that they have some spending $ for snacks and such while they're on their own.

DAY 5

We are back at Hollywood Studios. My parents have been to Galaxy's Edge, but haven't been on RotR. I have received several emails from my dad about coordinating efforts for boarding passes. We'll see how it goes, but we're certainly going to try. And if I don't get to ride it on Day 3, M&M's Runaway Railway will be my must. Sacrilege to some, but I was never a fan of the GMR. I think my first time riding it was in 1991. We waited for an eternity and we all were kind of meh on the whole thing. In later years, I appreciated it for the air conditioning and lack of line. Oh well...it's gone and its replacement is a key goal. We'll also see if the kids want to go off on their own today.

Day 6

Like Epcot, it kind of pains me to only have 1 MK day. I feel like I didn't get enough MK time during Marathon Weekend last January. In fact, my last time in MK was while running the half marathon. I had plans to return that evening, but I was just too exhausted. Without FPs, I think we need to be really smart about this. My parents will no longer ride thrill rides, so they may take in more of the scenery while we try and cram in as much as humanly possible. Big Thunder for the four of us is a must...because while she thought it was funny, my friend really didn't find as much humor in my going on about The Wildest Ride in the Wilderness and the "no dancing" signage. Beyond that...just trying to hit the important stuff...like IASW, HM, PotC, Tiki Room, etc. We're not huge Splash fans, but if it's open, we'll ride it one more time and risk being soaked in February. Depending on how the day goes, I may also let the girls go off on their own again.

Day 7

Today is an Animal Kingdom day, but it's not a full day. We have to start heading home today. While we usually stop for the night on the way to Disney, we've been known to drive straight through on the way home. I think the girls were ages 4 and 6 the last time we stopped for the night. It's like we'll make good time, get to Louisiana, and start talking about just driving home. We'll see. 1:30 pm ET, I believe, is the latest we've ever left WDW and driven straight home. I'm not sure if I have any real goals for AK. I don't see 3D very well, so FoP is not a must for me. If it is for anyone else, the group may split. I really just need to ride Everest and go on the Safari to be a happy girl...oh, and venture back to see the gorillas. So, we'll see.

Day 8
If all goes as planned, we'll be arriving home and I'll start the great photo compilation for the proper TR. We have to get the dog from boarding, so hopefully all will go as planned. We've been using this same facility ever since we moved in 2017 and I know they can tack on an extra day(s) if something happens and your return is delayed. Still, I don't want to have to pay for extra days.

Coming up...a lot of everything else and some odds and ends.

HouCuseChickie · Jan 6, 2021

BigDis said:
Definitely following. Looking forward to hearing more.

Thanks!!!

Songbird76 · Jan 6, 2021

HouCuseChickie said:
DINING

Man, this is always my weakness. While I've been going to WDW since 1985, it was that 2010 trip where we took the girls for the first time that got me hooked on making ADRs. Speaking of 2010, I will probably pepper the actual TR with 10 year anniversary pics of the girls' first visit. Here's a little teaser...

What I miss most...the 2 year old being free and the 4 year old qualifying as a kid!

Before I get into what I've booked and why I booked it (because I know it's a lot and I know we won't be doing all of this in the end), let me address some of my thoughts and concerns.

1. If you followed our 2017 trip, we had a number of lackluster meals. It was to the point that my husband suggested we focus more on quick service and possibly even grocery delivery for snacks and breakfast. We have a 1 BR villa, so we can certainly make food in our room. I'm still torn about grocery delivery. We've discussed just bringing along a cooler and having food with us, since I really don't want to waste any time at Publix once we're there.

2. Even before Covid, I would get nervous about having enough seating for quick service. All it took was one issue at Pecos Bill 10 years ago where we spent 20 minutes trying to find a table and I'm scarred for life! I know TS meals take longer, but I like knowing there's a table for me when I show up and won't risk spilling my tray of food onto the floor in a panic. I have issues! So, I have a lot of things booked in case I feel that we truly need table service to fill in the meal gaps.

3. My husband loves the idea of the villa, but it's really just for the extra room. He thought back on a vacation we took where we wound up utilizing our condo kitchen much more than we planned and it just didn't feel very vacation-y. So, I have a feeling we won't utilize that kitchen as much as we'd originally planned. Heck, who knows...we might even decide the night before to do something off property...like I did in the 80s and 90s.

So here goes...

Day 1-
* If you followed my 2014 trip when we left the kids home with grandma (other grandma), we made it sort of an eating and drinking extravaganza with F&W in the mix. In order to really kick off my husband's bday celebration, I thought it might be fun to try something similar.
Before heading to Disney Springs, I have an ADR at Beaches & Cream. I really just want to get ice cream.
Next up is The Edison. I'm sure we'll get a snack, but this is more about drinking.
The one I'm really excited about is Wine Bar George. My friend and I loved this last January and it's a good mix of snacks and drinks.
We end with Splitsville. The kids love sushi and it's got some fun drink options for the grown ups. It just looks fun in general.

You will almost definitely be able to guess our park reservations from the rest of my dining, but I will go over those and some musts/plans in a future post.

Day 2-

I booked a really early lunch at H&V. I'm up in the air about this, but I've heard better reviews about it since it reopened as family style. I'm also a sucker for a character meal...and since I'm more of a person who likes to see them vs pose with them, this method isn't all that bad to me.
Last trip, I got to try Oga's with my friend. The family hasn't seen Galaxy's Edge yet and I thought they might have fun with this, so I booked it for a midday drink.
I currently have a dinner ADR booked pretty late in the day at 50s. The kids really think this is a fun one, but I still have yet to have an above average meal here. This is one that might get cut in favor of something back at the room or venturing off property.

Day 3-

I have always loved a meal with a view. So, I booked breakfast at Toppolino's. This is where I start having issues with that lunch I booked at H&V. The character aspect starts feeling a bit redundant. If I have to cut one, it will probably be Toppolino's. You'll see why as you read on. Just not on day 3
My parents should be meeting up with us after this. I didn't book any lunches because if we do wind up going to Toppolino's, that should be plenty of food to hold us for some time. Dinner is where things get a bit iffy...and please, no shaming on this because it's quite possible we may split up and go to both ADRs. I booked a late ADR at Teppan Edo as well as an even later ADR at Narcoosee's. I really think Narcoosee's is going to be my best bet this trip for a Disney cake, but if we're tired, Teppan Edo is right there and it's just a walk back to BWV right after. Still, it doesn't feel as special and it's our first night, so a nicer meal would be nice. And if I don't do a cake...maybe some of us want Teppan Edo and some of us want Narcoosee's. Who knows, but we'll have to decide before no show fees are an issue.

Day 4-

Next day is definitely a breakfast at the room or snack on the go kind of day, but I booked lunch for us at the Brown Derby. My parents really like this one. I've had good meals at the lounge, but just OK in the restaurant. We also had an excessive wait last time we were there. So, I'm nervous. I guess we'll see.
I booked dinner at Toppolino's this night, so that's part of why I'm OK with canceling breakfast if I feel I don't need another character meal. I will also be risking it this night and eating gluten and dairy.

Day 5-

I was torn on TS breakfast or lunch, and I was even more torn on what to book. I started out with an early breakfast at The Wave, but I canceled it because I remembered that my parents don't love The Wave. Which is too bad, because I think The Wave is really good. I went back to booking a character meal for this slot...Chef Mickey's. I'm normally not a fan, but like H&V, I've heard it's been much better in this family style setting.
I booked the Plaza for lunch. I couldn't book anything larger than a party of 4. So, it seems like the obvious choice to drop, but I don't think I've ever eaten here...or if I have...it's been a LONG time. My parents have no desire to eat here, so it will be just us if we keep this.
For dinner, I got an end of the day ADR at Skipper Canteen. I have wanted to go here since it opened. It just never seems to work out with our schedules. I swear, everyone else can take the bus back to the hotel and leave me there if they don't want to go...because I'm having this dinner whether they like it or not!

Day 6-

Back when we were booked at OKW, I had hopes of breakfast at Olivia's. I considered doing that on this day since I can easily drive, but that's more running around than I know I'll want to do. As it is, I'm not sure how we'll feel about the TS breakfast I did book. I figured it's in the area, so we're going to try Ale & Compass. I've heard mixed reviews, but the breakfast menu looks appealing to me.
I also have a lunch ADR at Yak & Yeti. My husband wants to try this and we are Landry's members, so why not? Still, I have wanted to try Satu'li Canteen, so this may get axed too. Alternately, I could see my husband saying he misses Sanaa and we try and get in there last minute before saying goodbye.

And that's it! It's quite a lot of ADRs, but at least we're prepared. That being said, I don't know how we'll feel about it a month from now. Unlike my parents, we have dined indoors a number of times since the start of the pandemic. It's not an every day or even every week thing and we cut it out altogether as numbers started to escalate here from holiday gatherings. Or maybe I'll just get drinking/eating masks for restaurant time (not my pictures). We will have the ability to do laundry in the room, so mask washing shouldn't be an issue if I do this. We'll see.

View attachment 522365 View attachment 522366

ADR planning is always tough. We get the dining plan as part of the package for European guests, so we end up booking a LOT of ADRs, but it's always tough to decide which ones. We do a lot of buffets, and breakfasts are good because then you're good for most of the day and don't need to spend more on other meals. In fact, on our 2019 trip, we got to the end of our trip and still had a TON of QS credits left over just because we were always too full from TS meals. The only reason we used all our snack credits was because A won't eat at most of the restaurants and all he wanted was either fries or Joffrey's donuts. We used all the snack credits for those and dole whips for my husband.

But I'm one who wants to eat at restaurants on vacation. I don't want to be the only one who doesn't get a break from work. If I'm on vacation, I want to feel like I'm on vacation...I don't want to be doing grocery shopping and cooking and doing dishes. I don't mind getting snacks to eat in bewteen meals, etc, but when it comes to actual meals, I'm not cooking them! I already get stuck with laundry while everyone else gets to sleep or go to the pool, etc, I'm not spending my vacation doing chores so everyone else can be lazy. Just my two cents.

Do you plan your ADRs based on specific dishes you want to eat? Or what is your selection process?

Songbird76 · Jan 6, 2021

HouCuseChickie said:
I love cake day! I have a couple of friends who used to gift me with slices now and then. As for the allergy friendly stuff, I thought about going a similar route to what you're suggesting, but I'm not sure I want to drop the $80-100 (or more) to have one for me that's allergy friendly.

I'd like to think they'd be comfortable, but some of it is going to be psychological. The reality is that they'll be about 5 weeks out from dose 1 and nearly 2 weeks out from dose 2 when we see them. Still, they haven't been anywhere in quite some time and I just don't know how they're going to feel being out and about. Aside from age, my mom is a cancer survivor and while not diabetic, she battles pre-diabetic blood sugar issues. She's super smart about what she eats and exercises daily, but sometimes hereditary matters come into play. While it's greatly improved, my dad developed some respiratory issues in more recent years. It's drastically improved since they stopped cruising, but it's still a concern. There may also still be nerves about catching it, but I think most of the news stories over here about people getting infected after vaccination are people who thought they'd be immune on day 2 or people who were probably sick and just didn't know it at the time of vaccination.

There have been stories about people getting sick after vaccination? How long have they been doing vaccines there? Ours just started today.

Songbird76 · Jan 6, 2021

HouCuseChickie said:
THE MAIN PLAN

While some people hate it, we have been blessed with a school district that has found ways to give the kids more breaks. It does mean a shorter summer break, but it allows for a fall break in October, Thanksgiving week, a little over 2 weeks around Christmas and New Year's, a winter break week in February, and a spring break week in March. Due to work constraints, I can't travel during the October break, but this February break is such a blessing IMO. We can travel at a time when crowds and prices are lower, meaning my $ stretches farther than it did when we were resorting to traveling over Thanksgiving or Christmas breaks.

We initially thought about flying...in fact, last time we were at WDW, my husband said we are never driving again. While Covid certainly has impacted his feelings on flying, vehicle comfort turned out to be a part of this equation. Since our last WDW family visit, we've taken a number of destination road trips. Sure, we flew into our starting point, but we literally drove thousands of miles in our rental SUVs without a whimper or whine about comfort. The 2020 summer road trip was only 8 days, but we drove over 2,000 miles and everyone said the ride in the new vehicle was super comfy. So, as long as I don't have any issues with the A/C come back up (or any other unknown issues), I think we're back to being good with driving. It's not as bad with Disney, but when I look at the cost of air into smaller airports combined with multi week SUV rentals, the budget will thank me for driving.

DAY 1

Ok...so the short version of that...we're driving We're leaving on a Friday, which means the kids will miss a day of school BUT with so many virtual options, I'm planning to bring along the laptops and have them catch up on whatever they missed. Our day 1 goal is to make it to Tallahassee. It's doable, but I know there are some areas in Louisiana and Alabama that could add significant delays. I also think we're going to get take out as well as pack some road meals on ice, so I'm hoping to save some time by just stopping at rest areas to eat picnic style. It should save some time and $. Oh...the other big issue...we lose an hour going from the central to eastern time zone. BUT...it is what it is.

DAY 2

Drive to WDW! If we are dragging or somehow don't make it to Tallahassee and wind up spending the night in Pensacola, I will probably cancel Beaches & Cream. I think the rest in Disney Springs is doable, regardless of where we start from that morning.

DAY 3

Park pass is for Hollywood Studios. I know they are opening up a form of hopping, and my parents may take advantage of this since they are APs, but I just didn't see the value in it for us. My husband and the kids haven't seen Galaxy's Edge or Toy Story Land, and I wound up riding none of this when I was there last January, so new is really going to be the focus. Obviously, RotR is the number 1 goal. I think Slinky Dog is probably #2.

DAY 4

Park pass is for Epcot. I love Epcot...even in it's current state...I love Epcot. So, it makes me kind of sad that we're only getting 1 day. Still, the last time we were in Epcot as a family, we were struggling to find things to do by 4pm. My parents are going to be meeting us today. My dad is debating about renting an ECV, so I don't know how it's going to impact touring, but assuming we get into the park before them (since they're driving up that morning), first goal is Test Track. After that...who knows. We all miss the old Soarin' and don't enjoy the bending landmarks, so we'll see.

I also hadn't noted this before, but the girls are now 12 and 14 (yea, I still haven't introduced any of us yet - ooops ). This is the first day I could see letting them go off on their own. I'm not sure I'm ready to have them leave a park just yet and move around beyond the boundaries, but this may be where we get in some rides in the morning as a family, and then split up in the afternoon. I see us enjoying the World Showcase while the kids line up for more rides. At least they both have phones and I can track them. I was also planning on getting them each a couple of gift cards so that they have some spending $ for snacks and such while they're on their own.

DAY 5

We are back at Hollywood Studios. My parents have been to Galaxy's Edge, but haven't been on RotR. I have received several emails from my dad about coordinating efforts for boarding passes. We'll see how it goes, but we're certainly going to try. And if I don't get to ride it on Day 3, M&M's Runaway Railway will be my must. Sacrilege to some, but I was never a fan of the GMR. I think my first time riding it was in 1991. We waited for an eternity and we all were kind of meh on the whole thing. In later years, I appreciated it for the air conditioning and lack of line. Oh well...it's gone and its replacement is a key goal. We'll also see if the kids want to go off on their own today.

Day 6

Like Epcot, it kind of pains me to only have 1 MK day. I feel like I didn't get enough MK time during Marathon Weekend last January. In fact, my last time in MK was while running the half marathon. I had plans to return that evening, but I was just too exhausted. Without FPs, I think we need to be really smart about this. My parents will no longer ride thrill rides, so they may take in more of the scenery while we try and cram in as much as humanly possible. Big Thunder for the four of us is a must...because while she thought it was funny, my friend really didn't find as much humor in my going on about The Wildest Ride in the Wilderness and the "no dancing" signage. Beyond that...just trying to hit the important stuff...like IASW, HM, PotC, Tiki Room, etc. We're not huge Splash fans, but if it's open, we'll ride it one more time and risk being soaked in February. Depending on how the day goes, I may also let the girls go off on their own again.

Day 7

Today is an Animal Kingdom day, but it's not a full day. We have to start heading home today. While we usually stop for the night on the way to Disney, we've been known to drive straight through on the way home. I think the girls were ages 4 and 6 the last time we stopped for the night. It's like we'll make good time, get to Louisiana, and start talking about just driving home. We'll see. 1:30 pm ET, I believe, is the latest we've ever left WDW and driven straight home. I'm not sure if I have any real goals for AK. I don't see 3D very well, so FoP is not a must for me. If it is for anyone else, the group may split. I really just need to ride Everest and go on the Safari to be a happy girl...oh, and venture back to see the gorillas. So, we'll see.

Day 8
If all goes as planned, we'll be arriving home and I'll start the great photo compilation for the proper TR. We have to get the dog from boarding, so hopefully all will go as planned. We've been using this same facility ever since we moved in 2017 and I know they can tack on an extra day(s) if something happens and your return is delayed. Still, I don't want to have to pay for extra days.

Coming up...a lot of everything else and some odds and ends.

I'm not sure you even can let your younger daughter leave the park on her own...at least not if she'd need to get back in to meet up for ADRs or something. I'm pretty sure kids have to be at least 14 to enter the park without a parent or guardian.

Are your girls pretty confident with navigating the parks and such? My daughter loves Disney, but so far has no desire to go anywhere by herself because she's afraid she'd get lost. And since she actually likes most of the same things as I do, and we like spending time together, she's content to stay with the family. My son wouldn't be able to handle himself. We'd probably get a phonecall from guest relations that he was found crying in a corner somewhere and could we please pick him up. Not that we'd let him be on his own anyway, so kind of a moot point, even if he was allowed by Disney. But some kids are completely comfortable with running free in a large park, etc. I think it's good for them to have some free time to fill in for themselves and let them see you trust them. Mine just wouldn't dare to.

ajrwdwgirl · Jan 6, 2021

HouCuseChickie said:
Not Disney related, but I thought you might enjoy the map of our preliminary plans for a summer road trip. It's ambitious, but if all goes well...another national parks extravaganza in the future. Some of the stuff isn't spot on due to current winter road closures, but you get the idea.

View attachment 522393

Wow! That looks fantastic! I would love to go back to Yellowstone, so I'm jealous of that! There are a few places in there that I would like to see so I hope you do a trip report on this. Oh and San Antonio!! I chaperoned a church youth trip there and while I didn't see much of the city I had one of the best Mexican/TexMex meals of my life there along the Riverwalk. I don't remember the name of the restaurant but there were a lot of colorful umbrellas on a terrace.

HouCuseChickie · Jan 7, 2021

Songbird76 said:
ADR planning is always tough. We get the dining plan as part of the package for European guests, so we end up booking a LOT of ADRs, but it's always tough to decide which ones. We do a lot of buffets, and breakfasts are good because then you're good for most of the day and don't need to spend more on other meals. In fact, on our 2019 trip, we got to the end of our trip and still had a TON of QS credits left over just because we were always too full from TS meals. The only reason we used all our snack credits was because A won't eat at most of the restaurants and all he wanted was either fries or Joffrey's donuts. We used all the snack credits for those and dole whips for my husband.

But I'm one who wants to eat at restaurants on vacation. I don't want to be the only one who doesn't get a break from work. If I'm on vacation, I want to feel like I'm on vacation...I don't want to be doing grocery shopping and cooking and doing dishes. I don't mind getting snacks to eat in bewteen meals, etc, but when it comes to actual meals, I'm not cooking them! I already get stuck with laundry while everyone else gets to sleep or go to the pool, etc, I'm not spending my vacation doing chores so everyone else can be lazy. Just my two cents.

Do you plan your ADRs based on specific dishes you want to eat? Or what is your selection process?

We tried the regular and deluxe DDP several times in the early days of taking the girls, but we found our dining preferences work better with just paying OOP and getting a room discount. Of course, it's different with European offers. The excess of snack credits on the deluxe plan were a big turn off for us with that plan. In the end, we still don't eat exactly the way any plan is tailored. Last time I calculated, it was about a $330 savings for us to just pay OOP on food.

We generally like to eat in restaurants and while I will have a full kitchen this time, I don't want to be getting my $s worth from it.

Still, I do plan to use it some.

Dining is usually based on a combo of things...where we're going to be, places we've liked in the place, places we want to try based on theme/menu, and sometimes just out of necessity. I always find it much easier to plan if we're not hopping, since I don't have think from the "oooooh, we could pop by Epcot tonight for dinner" frame of mind.

HouCuseChickie · Jan 7, 2021

Songbird76 said:
There have been stories about people getting sick after vaccination? How long have they been doing vaccines there? Ours just started today.

I have a number of friends and family in the medical field. I was just looking at some of their posts and it looks like Dec 18th was around the time when a lot of them started getting their first doses. Some medical spots also ranked higher than others. My SIL is a pharmacist in a hospital and is often on the floors and working directly with patients, while my brother (works in a different hospital), does more direct work with doctors and has less patient time...so, he got his about a week after my SIL. Not sure on the exact date when age and health related vaccinations started, but I know some local friends in their 70s got theirs right before New Year's.

HouCuseChickie · Jan 7, 2021

Songbird76 said:
I'm not sure you even can let your younger daughter leave the park on her own...at least not if she'd need to get back in to meet up for ADRs or something. I'm pretty sure kids have to be at least 14 to enter the park without a parent or guardian.

Are your girls pretty confident with navigating the parks and such? My daughter loves Disney, but so far has no desire to go anywhere by herself because she's afraid she'd get lost. And since she actually likes most of the same things as I do, and we like spending time together, she's content to stay with the family. My son wouldn't be able to handle himself. We'd probably get a phonecall from guest relations that he was found crying in a corner somewhere and could we please pick him up. Not that we'd let him be on his own anyway, so kind of a moot point, even if he was allowed by Disney. But some kids are completely comfortable with running free in a large park, etc. I think it's good for them to have some free time to fill in for themselves and let them see you trust them. Mine just wouldn't dare to.

The younger one can't leave on her own, but based on the way the policy reads, can leave with someone 14+.

Help

disneyworld.disney.go.com

They know the parks pretty well and are looking forward to the freedom of touring without us. They've had school trips to larger amusement parks like Six Flags and have gone off with friends, so I'm pretty confident they'll be OK in Disney. I worry more about them fighting than getting lost.

HouCuseChickie · Jan 7, 2021

ajrwdwgirl said:
Wow! That looks fantastic! I would love to go back to Yellowstone, so I'm jealous of that! There are a few places in there that I would like to see so I hope you do a trip report on this. Oh and San Antonio!! I chaperoned a church youth trip there and while I didn't see much of the city I had one of the best Mexican/TexMex meals of my life there along the Riverwalk. I don't remember the name of the restaurant but there were a lot of colorful umbrellas on a terrace.

We wouldn't be devoting a ton of time to Yellowstone and definitely would not be staying in the park, but enough to revisit some favorite spots and/or try and do some things we didn't get to do last time. I was initially thinking we'd stay in Gardiner, but now thinking the West Yellowstone area might be better. I have a whole bulleted list of things I want to see along the way. Some is also to just add states. Fargo, ND is right on the MN border, so if we drive east...just a little bit, we can add MN to our states list, before turning around and heading west. We used to go to San Antonio all the time. It's only about a 3 hour drive from here. Before the kids, we'd usually stay on the Riverwalk, but the last few times we were there, we stayed over near Sea World since a number of those hotels have shuttles to and from the park. We were supposed to go back in April for a choir trip to Fiesta Texas, but obviously couldn't because of shut downs. If we go through with the full trip, I'm going to try and get something on the Riverwalk since I think the kids are old enough to now really appreciate it.

RememberWhen · Jan 7, 2021

HouCuseChickie said:
The younger one can't leave on her own, but based on the way the policy reads, can leave with someone 14+.

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They know the parks pretty well and are looking forward to the freedom of touring without us. They've had school trips to larger amusement parks like Six Flags and have gone off with friends, so I'm pretty confident they'll be OK in Disney. I worry more about them fighting than getting lost.

I imagine your kids will be fine. I fondly remember being allowed to wander off on my own. We usually stayed at BWV (my mom bought into DVC pretty early) and I loved being able to sleep in, get myself a croissant from the bakery, and head into epcot to explore the world showcase. I loved just wandering the countries and finding hidden spots. I was probably around 12 at the time. The rules might have been different about entering, or I looked old enough that the CMs didn’t question me.

HouCuseChickie · Jan 7, 2021

WHO

So, I've really done this backwards. I haven't even introduced ourselves!

That's Kendall, Sam and David.

I almost never take pics of me. I had to go back to November to find this one, but either way...I'm Sandy

My parents, as I've noted, will also be joining us for some of the trip. Because of the virus, we haven't seen them in over a year. We normally visit 2-4x per year, but unlike my brother (who lives near them), we're about a 1,200 mile drive. This pic was from early January 2020.

As you can kind of guess from our plans, they'll be joining us a couple of days into the trip. So, we'll be in Disney Springs and our first day at HS without them. They are a little over a 3 hour drive to WDW and will also be stopping at BWV first, so I would expect them to be meeting us in Epcot later on in the day.

DISNEY MB FRUSTRATIONS

I hate to throw anything particularly bad in here right now, but if you've seen my posts in other parts of the forums, I'm having Magic Band issues. I wanted to get special ones since it's been a while since we've been to WDW and we're celebrating. Still, I wanted the reduced pricing, so I ordered bands via MDE. The upgraded ones typically ship right away, so I was also thinking it might be a fun gift under the Christmas tree. Here's a timeline of events...

December 8th (approx 8:30am)- Magic Bands ordered online and email confirmation received.
December 10th (approx 4am)- I received email notification that my Magic Bands had shipped
December 10th - 15th- I monitor the tracking, but nothing has changed. It showed (and STILL shows) the following: Status
On Its Way to USPS
December 10, 2020 at 5:46 pm
Picked Up by Shipping Partner, USPS Awaiting Item
DAVENPORT, FL 33897
December 15th (am)- I send Disney an email because I'd like a paper trail. I've also noticed that the band I picked for myself is showing plain gray in MDE, but I paid $20 for a special band for me.
December 15th (pm)- I receive an email from Disney saying that they are unable to help me due to online security concerns and that I'll need to call their IT group.
December 16th (mid morning)- I call the Disney IT number given to me and after waiting on hold for 15 minutes in complete silence (no fun hold music on this line), a woman answered who was of no help. Pleasant, but not helpful. She had no idea why my band was showing gray and had no idea why my package was still showing it hadn't been brought to USPS. All she wanted to do was to clean up my mom's profiles, because I guess they were a mess to her. She put me on hold for a while, came back and said that the group that would have to help me is too busy and to expect an email from them in the coming days to resolve my issues. Yeah...NEVER got an email.
December 29- Christmas has now come and gone and still no bands. I call Disney again...this time calling the main line. I had to hold for a while and once I got through, the girl said she couldn't help me and transferred me to an IT group...a different IT group. This one had hold music! The girl in the IT group was very pleasant, but insisted my bands had been shipped and that I'd need to contact USPS to find out about the hold up. Yeah...USPS confirmed just what the tracking status shows...they don't have it b/c Disney hasn't given it to them. In any event, the girl told me to give it another week and call the merch line if they still didn't show up.
Late Decemberish- I learned that my MB is showing as gray because it was a special more limited edition and that some of those bands don't have photos loaded into MDE for people's profiles. Learned that on another forum. So, that's one bit of relief.
January 4th- Call the Disney merch line because I still have no bands. They agree that it's been too long, so they put in a new order request for me and said I should receive a shipment notification within the next week. She said it really should only be a few days, but so far...nothing. All I know is that my order number is staying the same.
To add new worries to the matter, I checked MDE today and this is what I see for bands that are on the way to me for this trip. I can see the dummy gray band picture under my personal profile for MBs assigned to me, but NOTHING for me in my MB trip selection bands. So, naturally...I'm now even more worried.

It's hard to tell, but Sam's band is Grumpy, Kendall's is Fantasmic, and David's is birthday Stitch. I cannot find a pic anywhere of the one I ordered. It was white, with silver and gold accents, and Mickey snowmen. I guess I'm going to be calling the merch line again next week if I don't get any new shipping confirmation and also address why mine isn't showing at all. At some point, I have a feeling we're all going to end up with basic gray and I'm going to be trying to get my money back. I know they are no longer complimentary, but I'd at least like $50 back for the upgrading costs. Alternately, I have my IASW one I bought last year and various solid colored ones from previous trips we may bring along and hope the batteries for the RFID capabilities still work.

And I know shipping and mail has been crazy, but I feel like our home has been a mega receiving center for packages for the last few months. Between deliveries for bathroom remodeling stuff, birthday stuff, Christmas and Hanukkah...this is the ONLY package with tracking information that has been a problem. And after reading several complaints on here and a number of complaints on another forum, all with very similar issues/stories, this seems to be a Disney problem and not USPS.

At the end of the day, I know we don't need MBs, but I do like the convenience they offer. We missed them when we went to Disneyland in 2015 and we missed being able to use them for charging and room keys when we stayed at the Swan in 2017.

Sorry for the rant, but this has been the one really frustrating aspect with this trip.

HouCuseChickie · Jan 7, 2021

RememberWhen said:
I imagine your kids will be fine. I fondly remember being allowed to wander off on my own. We usually stayed at BWV (my mom bought into DVC pretty early) and I loved being able to sleep in, get myself a croissant from the bakery, and head into epcot to explore the world showcase. I loved just wandering the countries and finding hidden spots. I was probably around 12 at the time. The rules might have been different about entering, or I looked old enough that the CMs didn’t question me.

We didn't start staying onsite until we were bringing our own kids, but I do have fond memories of roaming the parks on my own when we went when I was high school age. While I moved out of state, the family moved to FL in the early 90s, so I know my younger brother had plenty of school trips to WDW where they went off and explored the parks. So, I'm sure all will be fine. I've debated about letting them sleep in and meet us, but our bodies are already an hour behind and when they sleep in...they REALLY sleep in. Over Christmas break, we'd have days where we got so engrossed in work just to realize that it was 1pm and the kids were still in bed.

They probably would have become nocturnal if I allowed it!

Songbird76 · Jan 8, 2021

HouCuseChickie said:
We tried the regular and deluxe DDP several times in the early days of taking the girls, but we found our dining preferences work better with just paying OOP and getting a room discount. Of course, it's different with European offers. The excess of snack credits on the deluxe plan were a big turn off for us with that plan. In the end, we still don't eat exactly the way any plan is tailored. Last time I calculated, it was about a $330 savings for us to just pay OOP on food.

We generally like to eat in restaurants and while I will have a full kitchen this time, I don't want to be getting my $s worth from it. Still, I do plan to use it some.

Dining is usually based on a combo of things...where we're going to be, places we've liked in the place, places we want to try based on theme/menu, and sometimes just out of necessity. I always find it much easier to plan if we're not hopping, since I don't have think from the "oooooh, we could pop by Epcot tonight for dinner" frame of mind.

Yeah, the European offers make it a completely different story. If I was in the states, I'd just pay out of pocket, too, because the dining plan isn't really worth it since we end up with a ton of credits left. But the first time I went to book on property, there was no option for room only. It automatically popped me over to the UK site, and I couldn't access the American version. You couldn't buy everything separately and you couldn't get tickets for fewer than 7 days. You had to get a package deal that included the dining plan for free and came with 14 day ultimate tickets for the price of 7. (Ultimate tickets are park hoppers that also include park hopping to the water parks. You didn't have to use a day's ticket only for the waterpark...you could go to a water park and to one of the 4 main parks on the same day's ticket) I had previously been able to access the American site and had priced everything out separately and it ended up cheaper for us to stay 10 days at CBR than it would have been to stay at All-Star Music for 5 days, plus we had access to the water parks and got 2 passes for mini golf. So that's what I booked. Then in 2019, I waited for that same deal and booked for both my brother's family and mine. I kind of like not having to worry about how much the meals cost, or what I order, but I think we'd come out cheaper without the dining plan if it wasn't included in the package. Unless you eat nothing but steak, meals are cheaper than what the dining plan charges. But I DO like that buffets are covered in that, because those are typically more expensive. On our 2016 trip when the kids were 8 and 10, we did a TON of character dining, which is more expensive. I felt like we could do it because it was already paid for. If we wouldn't have had the dining plan, we wouldn't have done as many TS meals, and certainly not all the character things. And if we were in the US, we wouldn't be eligible for the Ultimate tickets, so we'd just get park hoppers and we wouldn't get water park tickets. Overall, the European deal is way better...we get everything. We just have to pay more, because we also have to buy international flights so it all kind of evens out in the end. But I totally understand you not wanting the dining plan. It's not worth it for most people.

Songbird76 · Jan 8, 2021

HouCuseChickie said:
The younger one can't leave on her own, but based on the way the policy reads, can leave with someone 14+.

Help

Help

disneyworld.disney.go.com

They know the parks pretty well and are looking forward to the freedom of touring without us. They've had school trips to larger amusement parks like Six Flags and have gone off with friends, so I'm pretty confident they'll be OK in Disney. I worry more about them fighting than getting lost.

Oh I wouldn't really worry about my oldest getting lost, but SHE worried about that. She's very mature and responsible...she'd be able to figure out what to do if she got lost. She'd either send me a message on whatsapp, or she'd go to the nearest CM and ask for help. I'd have let her go off on her own in 2019 if she had wanted to. We did let her take her little cousin on FoP without us because we didn't want to go again and they both did. Technically, it wasn't allowed because my niece was 6 and my daughter was only 13, and kids under 7 are supposed to be with someone 14 or older. But E looks older, and she's mature for her age and very good with her cousin.

My son is another story. We allowed him to stay in the room while we went to the parks because he was too overwhelmed at times and he didn't want to go with us. But if we were in a park and he needed to go back to the resort, one of us had to take him. There's no way he could have navigated the buses by himself, and even now at 13, I wouldn't feel comfortable letting him go on his own anywhere in the parks. He wouldn't know what to do if he got lost, or if something was closed down, etc....he would panic and he'd just be standing on the side of a pathway sobbing until a CM found him.

It just depends on the kid. Some can handle that at an earlier age than others. My daughter could handle it at 12 or 13, my son still couldn't at 13. But I also wouldn't put my daughter in charge of my son, because while she's totally capable, it wouldn't be fair to her. My son can be difficult to handle, and she's really good at calming him down when he's upset, but she's not his parent and she shouldn't have to. He has special needs and he's just not her responsibility. But I had to laugh at your comment about you worrying more about them fighting than getting lost...that would have been my brother and I as kids.

HouCuseChickie · Jan 8, 2021

OTHER STUFF

This is one of those things that I'll probably be adding to as time goes on, but for now...

Ever since I made family shirts for our 2016 trip...

...my mom has really gotten into having trip shirts. She ended up getting a real deal on something on ShopDisney. So, I guess one of the days of the trip, we'll all be wearing these...

Oh, I also decided to order "eating masks." My mom and David both really liked this idea. No, it's not perfect and we may find that we hate them, but we're going to try. The plan is to wear our normal masks that meet Disney standards into the restaurants, but switch into these when eating and drinking. Obviously, our proper masks will go back on once we're done. And then I'll just put them through the laundry at the end of the day. I got four different colored camo patterns, so we can keep them straight. Hopefully, they'll arrive without issue.

HouCuseChickie · Jan 8, 2021

Songbird76 said:
Oh I wouldn't really worry about my oldest getting lost, but SHE worried about that. She's very mature and responsible...she'd be able to figure out what to do if she got lost. She'd either send me a message on whatsapp, or she'd go to the nearest CM and ask for help. I'd have let her go off on her own in 2019 if she had wanted to. We did let her take her little cousin on FoP without us because we didn't want to go again and they both did. Technically, it wasn't allowed because my niece was 6 and my daughter was only 13, and kids under 7 are supposed to be with someone 14 or older. But E looks older, and she's mature for her age and very good with her cousin.

My son is another story. We allowed him to stay in the room while we went to the parks because he was too overwhelmed at times and he didn't want to go with us. But if we were in a park and he needed to go back to the resort, one of us had to take him. There's no way he could have navigated the buses by himself, and even now at 13, I wouldn't feel comfortable letting him go on his own anywhere in the parks. He wouldn't know what to do if he got lost, or if something was closed down, etc....he would panic and he'd just be standing on the side of a pathway sobbing until a CM found him.

It just depends on the kid. Some can handle that at an earlier age than others. My daughter could handle it at 12 or 13, my son still couldn't at 13. But I also wouldn't put my daughter in charge of my son, because while she's totally capable, it wouldn't be fair to her. My son can be difficult to handle, and she's really good at calming him down when he's upset, but she's not his parent and she shouldn't have to. He has special needs and he's just not her responsibility. But I had to laugh at your comment about you worrying more about them fighting than getting lost...that would have been my brother and I as kids.

Yeah, I think that's it in a nutshell. Every kid is different. Some need true adult presence for comfort and/or supervision, some just want it, and some are looking to try out a little bit of independence. While we can't allow as much due to Covid concerns, we have been trying to give them some safer options locally so they start developing a better sense of things. The older one is ticked off because I don't want her going to the movies with friends over the weekend, but that hours sitting inside with everyone removing masks to eat popcorn and drink soda. Thankfully, they usually just want to go sit outside on the patio at Starbucks and have crazy coffees.

The fighting really is the concern. They come by it naturally. My brother and I fought like crazy when we were growing up. Unlike us though, the girls are closer in age and the same gender, so when things are good between them...it's like they're best friends. When we first moved here and had more free time, the girls used to go out for bike rides on our greenbelts...the same ones I use for running and walking. Some days, it was fine...and some days I'd get frantic calls and texts from the older one because the younger one rode off without her. The younger one is a real speed demon and is not one for a leisurely ride like the older one, so it shouldn't shock me, but it's what I'm thinking about with them in the parks.

Still, with Festival of the Arts going on Epcot, I think the adults will probably devote the afternoon to food and drink in the World Showcase and let the kids focus on rides. So, they can choose to get along, or be bored out of their skulls tagging along with us!

meggo819 · Jan 8, 2021

HouCuseChickie said:
Still, with Festival of the Arts going on Epcot, I think the adults will probably devote the afternoon to food and drink in the World Showcase and let the kids focus on rides. So, they can choose to get along, or be bored out of their skulls tagging along with us!

I bet they'll do fine! They'll probably try harder to behave so they don't lose the privilege of the freedom.

Maybe they can take turns picking attractions, to prevent any arguing. Or are there are certain rides one of them doesn't like? I could see that causing problems...