Pre-Trip August Trip Planning!

Hi Everyone! I'm Ashton and this is my first post ever so fair warning that there may be a lot of rambling I can't believe that in two weeks from now I'll be on my way to the Happiest Place on Earth! I also can't believe that in the months and months of planning that I've put into this trip, I just discovered this site this week! And of course I was instantly hooked reading everyone's trip reports and pre-trip planning and it inspired me to add in my own.

-Background: This will be my 4th trip to Disney but my first trip as an adult doing the planning. The last time I was there was in 2007 when I was a sophomore in high school. My family did a land and sea trip and my equilibrium was so thrown off from the Disney Cruise that I almost passed out on the Royal Carrousel in MK! Let me tell you though, 8 years is 8 years too long! Ever since my husband and I got married, I've been trying to convince him we need to take a Disney trip. He's never been before and thinks my obsession is a little crazy but he's finally ready to see what the World is all about! I LOVE planning and have had so much fun putting this trip together. I just want my husband to have the best time!

-Who: My husband Jonathan (25) and myself (24):

We will also have some family members joining us for 2 days but it will mainly be the two of us in the parks. I'm planning on posting a trip report as soon as we get back and will hopefully have some fun pictures of all of us to share!

-When: 08/01/15 - 08/07/15

-Where: Star Island Resort in Kissimmee, FL ***I REALLY wanted to stay on-site but we have family members that offered us free use of their timeshare at this resort and we could not turn that down!***

-The Plan:

Saturday, August 1st:
*6am - Leave from our house in GA. Dunkin' Donuts run for coffee!
*3pm - Check in at Star Island Resort
*5pm - Head to Downtown Disney to get in the Disney mood! Roam around and most likely get
lost in the World of Disney store.
*6:45pm - Dinner ADR at Raglan Road
*9pm - Get back to SIR and try to turn in early for our first day in the Parks!

Sunday, August 2nd: [Magic Kingdom]
*Get to MK by 8:15am for 9:00am opening
*ADRs:
-11:50am Be Our Guest Lunch
-9:00am Wishes Fireworks Dessert Party (I know there are many opinions on this but I
wanted to add in something special)
*FP+:
-Splash Mountain
-Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
-Space Mountain
***Our general plan for today is just to soak everything in. We've planned for 2 Magic Kingdom
days and also have Park Hoppers so I'm not too worried about trying fit everything in on this
day.***

Monday, August 3rd: [Animal Kingdom]
*Get to AK by 8:30am for 9:00am opening
*FP+:
-Expedition Everest
-Kilimanjaro Safaris
-Festival of the Lion King
*Leave AK by 4:00pm and back to SIR to freshen up for dinner
*6:50pm ADR at 'Ohana

Tuesday, August 4th: [Hollywood Studios]
*Get to HS by 8:30am for 9:00am opening
*FP+:
-Tower of Terror
-Star Tours
-Toy Story Mania
*5:00pm ADR at Mama Melrose's (Fantasmic! Dinner Package)

Wednesday, August 5th: [Epcot]
*Get to Epcot by 8:30am for 9:00am opening
*FP+:
-Soarin'
-Spaceship Earth
-Mission: SPACE
*6:00pm ADR at Le Cellier

***Tuesday & Wednesday are where we plan to utilize our Park Hoppers the most. We're going to end at the parks listed above because of our ADRs but the time in between is just going to be whatever park we feel like going to.***

Thursday, August 6th: [Magic Kingdom]
***Last Park Day***
*Get to MK by 8:15am
*8:40am Breakfast ADR at Cinderella's Royal Table (At first I was bummed because I didn't
realize it was 8:00am EMH when I booked this but I'm finally getting to eat in the castle and
nothing is going to rain on my parade!!! )
*FP+:
-Space Mountain
-Enchanted Tales with Belle
-Splash Mountain

Friday, August 7th:
*11am: Check out of SIR and say "See Ya Real Soon!" to most magical place on Earth! It
makes me sad just thinking about it! We're just going to take our time getting home and do
anything in Orlando that we might want before leaving.

-Final Thoughts: I've never stayed off sight before so I'm a little worried about transportation time. The resort is less than 5 miles from Disney but I know we need to allow plenty of time for parking, getting to the park via tram/monorail/ferry, and getting through security.

I also feel like having some kind of midday break (especially during our MK days) is going to be necessary for my husband's sanity but I don't know if it's worth to go back to the resort or not. I'm thinking that maybe getting on the monorail and taking a leisurely tour of the monorail resorts (and stopping for drinks and snacks ) might work as a sort of break.

Does anyone has any tips for traveling when staying off site?

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read our pre-trip report and we are definitely open to any tips or recommendations, especially of the food/snack/drink variety!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Does anyone has any tips for traveling when staying off site?

Firstly, Welcome aboard

The only real piece of advice for travelling offset is to allow plenty of time. Journey time in probably the start of rush hour, lines at the ticket booths, parking, trams, monorails etc etc.
Better being too early than too late

Enjoy your trip

 

[WDWDarling]

I agree, I think we're definitely going to ere on the earlier side. My hubby will love that! Haha. But he'll get it when he sees how long it will take.

Thank you so much!

 

[bee]

Welcome! On the first day I would leave earlier for Downtown Disney if possible. Parking can be an absolute nightmare. Also, are you sure you'll want to get up early for all those park openings? Maybe build in one sleep in morning as Disney in summer can get way more exhausting that you anticipate. Of course, if you are used to getting up at 5am for work then all those Disney mornings will feel like sleeping in! Have fun and remember not to push yourselves too hard! Drink lots of water and check in with your body to see how you're feeling.

 

[WDWDarling]

Welcome! On the first day I would leave earlier for Downtown Disney if possible. Parking can be an absolute nightmare. Also, are you sure you'll want to get up early for all those park openings? Maybe build in one sleep in morning as Disney in summer can get way more exhausting that you anticipate. Of course, if you are used to getting up at 5am for work then all those Disney mornings will feel like sleeping in! Have fun and remember not to push yourselves too hard! Drink lots of water and check in with your body to see how you're feeling.

I hadn't really thought about that for Downtown Disney because I haven't been there in so long but you are probably right! Especially at that time of day we probably need to allow more time.

I'm definitely not a morning person so we are going to use our Hollywood Studios and Epcot days to be more flexible .

Yeah, August wasn't my first choice of times to go but we'll have to do what we can to combat the heat Thank you so much for the advice!

 

[corey154]

Florida August heat is the worse but it's still fun when you're at Disney!

 

[LisaBelle]

Welcome! Like you, I love all the planning that goes into a Disney vacation. Your plans look great. You got some great ADRs. We have been fortunate to stay on site so I can't really offer you any tips about that, but I will say that you will most likely want an afternoon break from the summer heat. Especially since your husband is a newbie! Once you get down there and see what your travel time to and from the parks is like you can adjust as necessary. The monorail tour may be enough to get you cooled down and refreshed. Enjoy yourselves. I will look forward to reading your TR.

 

[lostpro9het]

Welcome aboard! Following along.

*6am - Leave from our house in GA. Dunkin' Donuts run for coffee!

Perfect start!

 

[Zipadeelady]

Welcome @WDWDarling!! Your trip sounds great. Last year my husband and I took a kid free trip to Florida and I talked him into one day at Disney, he's not the nut I am. But like you i knew I would need to take a midday break to keep him happy so we left after FOF parade and hopped on the monorail to the Poly and went to Tambu Lounge for some drinks and air conditioning. If i'd do it again i'd also stop at The Wave at the Contemporary just to make him extra happy Have a great time.

 

[ekutchey]

Sounds like you have a good plan in place especially for staying off property. We have also stayed on property as well so can't exactly speak directly to that information. However someone mentioned the August heat. August can be quite hot however most of the U.S. hot at this time of year. We come down from MI every August and have found the heat to be the same. Actually we have lucked out two times know it has been 100+ at home and low 90s in FL. So I definitely wouldn't be discouraged by the heat. It is still a great time and most rides/shows have A/C anyways.

 

[Go.Nijntje]

If you are looking for a break you could take a bus to AKL. They have some nice quiet places to sit indoors with views of the Savannah. You can enjoy the air conditioning and the view for free.

 

[FlaggNL]

Welcome at WDW! Great plans! I really don't have much tips for traveling off sight! We had a villa last October and it was about a 20 minute ride. We rented a car. And the next to trips ar on sight so no transport problems... as long as the Disney buses keep on going

 

[WDWDarling]

If you are looking for a break you could take a bus to AKL. They have some nice quiet places to sit indoors with views of the Savannah. You can enjoy the air conditioning and the view for free.

I hadn't thought about that but that's such a great idea! I LOVE AKL and would love to stay there in the future. A visit might help me convince my husband later on . Thank you for the reply!

 

[WDWDarling]

Welcome! Like you, I love all the planning that goes into a Disney vacation. Your plans look great. You got some great ADRs. We have been fortunate to stay on site so I can't really offer you any tips about that, but I will say that you will most likely want an afternoon break from the summer heat. Especially since your husband is a newbie! Once you get down there and see what your travel time to and from the parks is like you can adjust as necessary. The monorail tour may be enough to get you cooled down and refreshed. Enjoy yourselves. I will look forward to reading your TR.

Thank you!

 

[WDWDarling]

Welcome aboard! Following along.



Perfect start!

Thank you! I am an absolute mess in the morning without my coffee! I wish Disney would put a few DDs in the parks but I guess Starbucks will do.

 

[WDWDarling]

Welcome @WDWDarling!! Your trip sounds great. Last year my husband and I took a kid free trip to Florida and I talked him into one day at Disney, he's not the nut I am. But like you i knew I would need to take a midday break to keep him happy so we left after FOF parade and hopped on the monorail to the Poly and went to Tambu Lounge for some drinks and air conditioning. If i'd do it again i'd also stop at The Wave at the Contemporary just to make him extra happy Have a great time.

I'm hoping this trip will make my husband love it just as much as I do but we shall see that's a great idea! I love the Poly! I have never been to The Wave but I've heard good things. Might have to be put on our to-do list. Thank you!

 

[WDWDarling]

Sounds like you have a good plan in place especially for staying off property. We have also stayed on property as well so can't exactly speak directly to that information. However someone mentioned the August heat. August can be quite hot however most of the U.S. hot at this time of year. We come down from MI every August and have found the heat to be the same. Actually we have lucked out two times know it has been 100+ at home and low 90s in FL. So I definitely wouldn't be discouraged by the heat. It is still a great time and most rides/shows have A/C anyways.

Wow, I can't believe it was actually cooler for you guys in Florida! I live in GA so I'm no stranger to the heat and humidity but we will definitely be keeping our water bottles filled, using Frogg Togg chilly pads, and trying to tour mainly in the mornings and evenings. Thank goodness for inside shows! Thanks for the reply!

 

[WDWDarling]

Welcome at WDW! Great plans! I really don't have much tips for traveling off sight! We had a villa last October and it was about a 20 minute ride. We rented a car. And the next to trips ar on sight so no transport problems... as long as the Disney buses keep on going

I think that's probably how long it will take us to get to MK. I've been reading along with your Pre-Trip report and it looks great! I love French Quarter! I hope you guys have a great time!

 

[lostpro9het]

Thank you! I am an absolute mess in the morning without my coffee! I wish Disney would put a few DDs in the parks but I guess Starbucks will do.

Roger that! A slight consolation is that there are a few right off property. We mostly stay at AKL and there is one directly across the street on 192 that I will go to some mornings. I can make the round trip from Kidani to DD's in less than 20 minutes! Gotta have my Dunkin!

 

[WDWDarling]

Roger that! A slight consolation is that there are a few right off property. We mostly stay at AKL and there is one directly across the street on 192 that I will go to some mornings. I can make the round trip from Kidani to DD's in less than 20 minutes! Gotta have my Dunkin!

Yes! I will definitely be stopping there on our AK day. Thanks for the tip! I get made fun of all the time because I plan my drives around where I can find a Dunkin'. Gotta do whatcha gotta do! Haha.