RMichael21
Well-Known Member
Greetings everyone! All of the trip reports on the boards seems to have pushed me over the edge to book yet another trip to the world this June, just for a few days. If y'all could take a look at the itinerary and spot any issues that I've missed over, that would be greatly appreciated. Also, I've put down a few questions towards the bottom. 
For context, it'll be four of us on this trip, staying at the Swan for 5 nights (before driving up to the Pan Handle for a week for some relaxation time).
Tuesday, June 26th - Arrival/Epcot
- Arrive at MCA sometime between 10am and 12pm, head to the Swan, drop off the bags and head to Epcot.
- (Prospective) FP+: Frozen (new for two of us), Spaceship Earth and one more (maybe Mission Space or Figment?)
- Teppan Edo ADR at 4:10 (I'm going to try to move this to later in the evening just to leave some room for our Fastpasses or any potential flight delays.
- Evening EMH from 9pm to 11pm
Wednesday, June 27th - Universal
- We have a Harry Potter fanatic in the group, so this was a must. She unfortunately had to miss our last trip in 2016, so the last trip to UOR for her was 2011.
- We'll start the day at IOA (in the Wizarding World) and end the day at USO
- Most likely will have lunch at Mythos and dinner at CityWalk
- We'll be buying Express because we only have one day, and it being summertime, we want to maximize our time. (This worked well for us in 2016, we were able to get through all of our must-dos in a day).
Thursday, June 28th - TBD
- Here's the tricky day, we currently have two options.
- OPTION ONE: Use this day to go to DAK in the morning and see Pandora for the first time, then take a mid-afternoon/evening break and then an ADR at California Grill, Resort Hop and watch the fireworks from the Contemporary rooftop. If we went with this option, we wouldn't use Saturday as a park day.
- OPTION TWO: Use this day to go to Volcano Bay (also new!), because three out of the four of us desperately want to try it out. We'd move our Pandora Morning to Sunday (our checkout day and just leave in the early afternoon rather than the morning). The only downside is the cost, as this bump up both our Universal and Disney ticket prices. If we did this option, we'd leave mid-afternoon, freshen up at the hotel and go the California Grill for dinner. To be honest, this is the preferred option for me, but we'll see. Trust me, I know full well of VB's crowds and have low expectations. I'm just looking forward to the new experience!
Friday, June 29th - Magic Kingdom
- Morning EMH from 8am to 9am
- (Prospective) FP+: Space, BTM, Splash
- Narcoossee's ADR at 5:30pm
Saturday, June 30th - Departure (And DAK?)
- If we went with Option Two, we'd go to DAK this morning prior to our drive to the beach. DAK has EMH in the morning from 8am to 9am, so this is also a draw for that day.
- (Prospective) FP+: Flight of Passage, Everest, Kilimanjaro Safari
- Leave sometime between 12pm and 2pm
Now, a few questions:
1) Now that last day is the same day as the opening of Toy Story Land. I'm concerned about experiencing Pandora due to our limited time that day, but was curious if anyone predicts the opening of the land to draw crowds away from DAK/Pandora (or vice versa). Personally, I'd love to experience the opening of a new land, but for us, TSL isn't worth it. The last time we visited DHS was in 2015 for a half day and we decided we'd wait until SWL for a return visit.
2) For Thursday, any recommendations for Resort Hopping along the monorail loop? Or the Boardwalk?
3) Can anyone confirm that you can return to the Contemporary rooftop with a valid dinner receipt from the night before? We'd love to watch Happily Ever After, but couldn't get an ADR during the time of the show.
4) Anyone have any Volcano Bay tips for first-timers to the park, especially those of us without Resort Early Entry? We want to maximize our day without over stressing about the crowds or heat.
---
Thanks for the help everyone!
For context, it'll be four of us on this trip, staying at the Swan for 5 nights (before driving up to the Pan Handle for a week for some relaxation time
).Tuesday, June 26th - Arrival/Epcot
- Arrive at MCA sometime between 10am and 12pm, head to the Swan, drop off the bags and head to Epcot.
- (Prospective) FP+: Frozen (new for two of us), Spaceship Earth and one more (maybe Mission Space or Figment?)
- Teppan Edo ADR at 4:10 (I'm going to try to move this to later in the evening just to leave some room for our Fastpasses or any potential flight delays.
- Evening EMH from 9pm to 11pm
Wednesday, June 27th - Universal
- We have a Harry Potter fanatic in the group, so this was a must. She unfortunately had to miss our last trip in 2016, so the last trip to UOR for her was 2011.
- We'll start the day at IOA (in the Wizarding World) and end the day at USO
- Most likely will have lunch at Mythos and dinner at CityWalk
- We'll be buying Express because we only have one day, and it being summertime, we want to maximize our time. (This worked well for us in 2016, we were able to get through all of our must-dos in a day).
Thursday, June 28th - TBD
- Here's the tricky day, we currently have two options.
- OPTION ONE: Use this day to go to DAK in the morning and see Pandora for the first time, then take a mid-afternoon/evening break and then an ADR at California Grill, Resort Hop and watch the fireworks from the Contemporary rooftop. If we went with this option, we wouldn't use Saturday as a park day.
- OPTION TWO: Use this day to go to Volcano Bay (also new!), because three out of the four of us desperately want to try it out. We'd move our Pandora Morning to Sunday (our checkout day and just leave in the early afternoon rather than the morning). The only downside is the cost, as this bump up both our Universal and Disney ticket prices. If we did this option, we'd leave mid-afternoon, freshen up at the hotel and go the California Grill for dinner. To be honest, this is the preferred option for me, but we'll see. Trust me, I know full well of VB's crowds and have low expectations. I'm just looking forward to the new experience!
Friday, June 29th - Magic Kingdom
- Morning EMH from 8am to 9am
- (Prospective) FP+: Space, BTM, Splash
- Narcoossee's ADR at 5:30pm
Saturday, June 30th - Departure (And DAK?)
- If we went with Option Two, we'd go to DAK this morning prior to our drive to the beach. DAK has EMH in the morning from 8am to 9am, so this is also a draw for that day.
- (Prospective) FP+: Flight of Passage, Everest, Kilimanjaro Safari
- Leave sometime between 12pm and 2pm
Now, a few questions:
1) Now that last day is the same day as the opening of Toy Story Land. I'm concerned about experiencing Pandora due to our limited time that day, but was curious if anyone predicts the opening of the land to draw crowds away from DAK/Pandora (or vice versa). Personally, I'd love to experience the opening of a new land, but for us, TSL isn't worth it. The last time we visited DHS was in 2015 for a half day and we decided we'd wait until SWL for a return visit.
2) For Thursday, any recommendations for Resort Hopping along the monorail loop? Or the Boardwalk?
3) Can anyone confirm that you can return to the Contemporary rooftop with a valid dinner receipt from the night before? We'd love to watch Happily Ever After, but couldn't get an ADR during the time of the show.
4) Anyone have any Volcano Bay tips for first-timers to the park, especially those of us without Resort Early Entry? We want to maximize our day without over stressing about the crowds or heat.
---
Thanks for the help everyone!
