My First Post Pre-Trip (May 19-28) Report

Hello All :wave::

I have loved reading all your post for the past year or so, and I finally got around to signing my self up for the forums here. I haven't posted at all yet but I figured what a better time to make post. Me and my Girlfriend will be making our second annual trip to WDW in just under a week. My Girlfriend is 23 and I too will be celebrating my 23rd and 2nd straight Bday at Disney the 27th. We went last year taking advantage of the buy four get three and birthday offers and we couldnt wait any longer to take another trip. First a little bit about me, Josh, and my GF, Emily.

We currently reside in Chicago, and are both Disney nuts. I am just finishing up my first year of law school (I should be studying for finals instead of posting this, but Ill take anything Disney Related over school anytime) and Emily will be starting law school in the fall. We both have been to Disney numerous times and as I said above our last trip was last year around the same time. Now onto our trip plans:sohappy:.

Last year we flew to Disney out of Indianapolis, Emily's hometown, and we had a few issues. We took off and then was told by our pilot there were warning lights going off in the cockpit so we had to turn back around. We eventually made it to Disney safe and sound but ended up losing more then half a day. With that experience along with the fact that both Em and I are freaked out by flying we decided to drive this year. I just got our Jetta all checked up and it is ready to go and so are we.

My last law school final is Monday May 17th and I will be leaving ASAP afterwords around 4pm EST. I will then drive by myself and pick up Emily at her dad's house in Indy (she will be down there for a wedding shower) while dropping off our cat, Keilee, with her dad. We are planning on driving until we get Chattanooga Tennessee were we will spend the night at the local Hampton inn (Thanks RB,Em's mom):sohappy: We will then wake up the next morning and drive until we get to Orlando were we will check into a local hotel and stay the night. I have never been on a road trip before so if any body can respond on how bad the drive is or if anyone has any tips I would appreciate it!!

When we wake up the morning of the 19th our Week plus Disney Trip begins. We are taking the day of the 19th to get Universal Studios out of the way. When we went last year we did not make it over to IOA so I am really excited to check out some of the rides there. We are getting the Universal Fast passes so we can get everything done in one day. We are also hoping we will be able to at least walk around the Harry Potter Land. Either way we will depart Universal at closing and drive to the Pop Century to check in. We figure that we will take it easy that night as we figure to be warn out from all the driving and rushing around Universal. On to the Disney Portion of our trip in the next post!!:wave:

 

[Kermit T. Frog]

Disney Portion of our Trip

Day 1 (May 20th)
Just as we did last year we will start our trip at Epcot, my favorite park overall. Last year we went to Epcot for half a day after our fiasco on the plane ride out. When we got there we rode Ellen's Energy Adventure which of course decided to break down during the Dinosaur portion of the ride. Anywho, this year we are hoping for no breakdown of rides. We will spend most of the day touring future world. We are especially excited for the land pavilion as we love both soaring and living with the land. We will of course hit up everything else and make sure we get root beer floats to cool off during the day. That evening we will head over to Down Town Disney and eat at T-Rex.

Day 2 (May 21st)

Depending on the weather we are hoping to head over to the Animal Kingdom. However, if we get one of those raining Florida days we will most likely head to Magic Kingdom. If we do go to AK though really looking forward to Dinosaur and Everest. Also hoping it is very warm because would love to ride the river rapids since I did not get to last year. If anyone has good lunch suggestions for AK Id love to hear them as I am least familiar with this park. We did Picnic in the Park last year, but will probably not do so this year. Once we are done at AK we will be heading back to Epcot to take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours. We plan on seeing Illuminations and eating inside the Mexico Pavilion, as we love the romantic atmosphere. We will spend the rest of the evening touring the world at night and any other attractions wed like to go on again.

Day 3 (May 22nd)

Assuming we didn't go MK the day before we will head there. Magic Kingdom of course is my favorite when it comes to traditional Disney. Once you walk in the gate you feel on cloud nine. When it comes to MK I am of course looking forward to the mountains, especially Space mountain, as i havent been on it in years ( it was closed last year for the refurb.) Also am looking forward to my two other favorite attractions at Disney, the CofP and the TTA. We will also be having lunch at Tony's. When we finish up at MK we will head over to the Board Walk for a fun filled night at Jelly Rolls.

Day 4 (May 23th)

Due to the fact that we will have been up late the night before we will take the day off from the parks. We plan on hanging by the POP pool and heading into town to see the new Shrek movie. That evening after a lazy day we will be heading back to MK to take advantage of the extra late(2am) EMHs. If anyone knows of theaters close to Disney, and or places to eat by local theaters Id appreciate suggestions.

Day 5 (May 24th)

We will be heading to the Studios for rope drop and heading right for Toy Story mania. We will then take our time getting around the rest of the park hitting up all the big rides. I am especially excited for Muppets as it will be right after the refurb (hoping they didnt mess with the preshow). We will go to the sci-fi drive in for lunch. We will be heading back then to DTD for dinner at Wolf Gang Puck's.

Day 6 (May 25th)

This first part of this day will be spent at Epcot. We will be taking the Segway tour around the world (anybody know about how much it cost for two people?). We will also spend the rest of the day touring the world as we both love the world as much as any other part of Disney, such a unique experience if you give a days worth of time and see all the different shows and street performers . We plan on eating somewhere in the world. Suggestions anyone?

Day 7 (May 26th)

Mostly likely a sleep in day and then either a Pool/Studios/ or dare I say a return to AK day. This is basically a free day were we don't know where we will end up. We do plan on doing the aloha luau at the Polynesian in the evening though (At this time booked for the entire week plan on calling everyday to try to get in though!).

Day 8 (May 27th)

Even though Epcot is my favorite park, I couldn't think of any other place in the world I rather be on my Bday then at MK. This is our last full day so we will make the most out of it spending all day in the park. We will then head to DTD to do our souvenir shopping and eating.

Day 9 (May 28th)

Depending how we are feeling we will either sleep in or head to the parks for a half a day. We will then check out and begin the drive back to Chicago.

We will drive for the next two days and make it back to Chicago by the evening of the 30th for my bros good bye dinner, hes heading to London for 2 1/2 months.

Both me and Em are really looking forward to our trip, as we said we went last year so while things are still fresh in our head, you can never be at Disney enough. We are going to have our computer with us so I am hoping to give you all trip updates each night, or every other night if you are interested. Also we are very flexable the last few days of our trip so if you have any suggestions of fun things to do or places to eat around disney, in or out of the parks wed love to hear. Hope you all enjoyed the pre trip report. Look in a week or so for the in progress report hopfully including pics. Also we just got a new flip camera so hopfully i can compile a video trip recap at the end of the month. Hope you enjoyed the first post!! Feed back? Comments?

 

[MicheleK]

Welcome and great Pre-TR! My suggestion for seeing Shrek would be at Downtown Disney and, of course, eating somewhere there.

Have a wonderful trip and I can't wait to read your TR when you return. Take lot of pictures!! :animwink: :wave:

 

[LovingDisney]

Yay- sounds so exciting.
Like MicheleK has said- DD has a movie theatre that you would be able to see Shrek. Also tons of good places to eat.
Also- good idea on the FP at Universal- we did both parks in one day last December with the FP- you need to hustle, but it can be done. I can't wait to see HP land this year- I heard they were doing some soft openings- so maybe you will get to see it before it officially opens.
Hope you have a great time and good luck with your finals.

 

[Adventure]

Hi, sounds like some great plans.
Just wanted to mention about the Segway tour you might do on the 6th day. I did it last year and it was awesome. We had to book it in advance though. I don't think you can just decide to do it that day. We have AAA and got a discount so I think it was $85.00 per person. Well worth it.
Have fun!

 

[Kermit T. Frog]

Welcome and great Pre-TR! My suggestion for seeing Shrek would be at Downtown Disney and, of course, eating somewhere there.

Have a wonderful trip and I can't wait to read your TR when you return. Take lot of pictures!! :animwink: :wave:

Yay- sounds so exciting.
Like MicheleK has said- DD has a movie theatre that you would be able to see Shrek. Also tons of good places to eat.
Also- good idea on the FP at Universal- we did both parks in one day last December with the FP- you need to hustle, but it can be done. I can't wait to see HP land this year- I heard they were doing some soft openings- so maybe you will get to see it before it officially opens.
Hope you have a great time and good luck with your finals.

Thanks a bunch! I had completely forgotten there is a theater in Downtown Disney. That's a huge relief, once we get onto the Disney Property, I don't want to leave until we have to!! I am glad to also hear that you were able to get through all of Universal in a day with the fast passes, LovingDisney. I hope we will be able to do it all and more, since me and Em arn't much into intense roller coasters with no themeing we will probally skip the hulk and the new coaster there. However, I got chewed out by my bro for not going on spiderman so I must do that at least once. Also looking forward to Jurassic Park as it sounds like Dinosaur on water!!

Hi, sounds like some great plans.
Just wanted to mention about the Segway tour you might do on the 6th day. I did it last year and it was awesome. We had to book it in advance though. I don't think you can just decide to do it that day. We have AAA and got a discount so I think it was $85.00 per person. Well worth it.
Have fun!

Thanks Adventure!! I couldn't for the life of me figure out how much it would be, and I didn't want to sit on the phone for an hour with Disney trying to find out. Glad to hear you loved it too. Me and Em both love the world and always try to schedule at least a half a day to tour. I think per your review we will definitely dish out the cash for this tour, as we are stay at POP so we could spend our money on other Disney magic!

Thanks so much for all the replies so far, I was actually expecting none since I haven't established my self on the forums yet, but thanks for all the great advice!! If anyone has any other suggestions or comments wed love to hear them!!:sohappy:

 

[Todd L]

As For The Drive............Ive Done it Twice From New York........I-95 . The thing that really got to me Is that I spent time on Vacation Worrying about the Drive back. Youll be fine Im sure But it is a Big undertaking...If you have a Gps They Are really useful to help Find Gas and Food. Have a great time.

 

[Kermit T. Frog]

As For The Drive............Ive Done it Twice From New York........I-95 . The thing that really got to me Is that I spent time on Vacation Worrying about the Drive back. Youll be fine Im sure But it is a Big undertaking...If you have a Gps They Are really useful to help Find Gas and Food. Have a great time.

Thanks for the advice! Luckily we will have a good GPS device, along with maps, and our iPhones. We are hoping for good weather on the drive and hopefully with our stop in Tennessee we will be all refreshed for day two of the drive! Trying not to think about the drive back:animwink:!!

 

[blackthidot]

Better luck getting there on time this trip!

 

[MicheleK]

Thanks a bunch! I had completely forgotten there is a theater in Downtown Disney. That's a huge relief, once we get onto the Disney Property, I don't want to leave until we have to!! I am glad to also hear that you were able to get through all of Universal in a day with the fast passes, LovingDisney. I hope we will be able to do it all and more, since me and Em arn't much into intense roller coasters with no themeing we will probally skip the hulk and the new coaster there. However, I got chewed out by my bro for not going on spiderman so I must do that at least once. Also looking forward to Jurassic Park as it sounds like Dinosaur on water!!



Oh, please don't skip Hulk and the other new coaster, Rip Ride it Rocket, or something along those lines. The themeing on Hulk is pretty good, not sure about the other though. But both coasters are so cool and fun and not to be missed!!! Spiderman, absolutely do not miss that one, it's the best. I hope you get into Harry Potter Land... Post lots of pictures when you return. :wave:

 

[erstwo]

Awesome! Can't wait to read more! I hope y'all have a great time.

My husband grew up in Park Ridge, so we visit Chicago a few times a year. Love that city like no other! Where are you in Law School?

 

[Kermit T. Frog]

Better luck getting there on time this trip!

Thanks! Last year was quite the experience. We woke up at 5 am for our 7am flight and had our whole take off, land, retake off fiasco that ended up getting us into Orlando after 1pm. While it didn't hamper the trip at all it did nothing to ease the minds of two people who cant stand flying in the first place. Not to mention the first ride we go on breaks down. But hopefully this year we will get good driving weather and a smooth trip, couldn't be worst then last year hopefully!

Oh, please don't skip Hulk and the other new coaster, Rip Ride it Rocket, or something along those lines. The themeing on Hulk is pretty good, not sure about the other though. But both coasters are so cool and fun and not to be missed!!! Spiderman, absolutely do not miss that one, it's the best. I hope you get into Harry Potter Land... Post lots of pictures when you return. :wave:

We will do our best. We saw them building Rip Ride It Rocket last year and it looked crazy, but knowing Em she will try anything once and probally drag me along for the ride. If we can get into Harry potter land expect lots of pictures, but I am not holding my breath.

Awesome! Can't wait to read more! I hope y'all have a great time.

My husband grew up in Park Ridge, so we visit Chicago a few times a year. Love that city like no other! Where are you in Law School?

That's great Chicago is a one of a kind city. I just hope your are visiting in the summers and not the winters. Best summers hear worst winters. I am at Loyola and Emily will be there next year as well. We will be sure to keep you all updated as the trip gets closer and happens. I know it got me through many a days reading everyone's trip reports.

 

[erstwo]

That's great Chicago is a one of a kind city. I just hope your are visiting in the summers and not the winters. Best summers hear worst winters. I am at Loyola and Emily will be there next year as well. We will be sure to keep you all updated as the trip gets closer and happens. I know it got me through many a days reading everyone's trip reports.

Well, we usually get to experience all 4 seasons - we think they're all pretty great, but I will admit we are glad to head home to the sunny South after the obligatory Christmas trip! But my kids get to experience "real" snow, which is something that many of their friends never have seen in person. :xmas:

I hear wonderful things about Loyola. My husband went to a Loyola, but it was the Academy, not the college - he went to Marquette for that. - I think he needed a change of scenery (either that or it was all the PBR tours :lookaroun :lol I asked because we have a lot of family connections to the law school at DePaul and it's always fun to make a "connection" with fellow WDWmagic-ers!

 

[blackthidot]

That is crazy! Anyhow welcome to boards!

 

[Kermit T. Frog]

Hey everyone thanks for all the replies. I thought that in the midst of my law finals I get on here and give everyone a few updates a few days before our trip. I have one more final on Monday and then right after that I will be on my way. Emily is already down in Indiana, waiting my arrival on Monday. My final gets done at 4pm and I am hoping to not get stuck in any traffic getting out of the city. I got the car all checked out and everything is good. I am hoping to get to Indy around 730ish to pick up Emily. We will then drive until we get tired, we are hoping to drive all the way to Chatanooga hopefully getting in there around 2 am. We will spend the night the wake up the next morning and drive all the way to Orlando. It will be a long two days, but well make it fun. If anyone has good things that they do to keep busy in long car drives, would love to hear them. Well that is the update for now, I know its nothing to intresting but hopefully it wasn't too bland. Will hopefully give an update Wednesday night when we get to the Pop Century after spending the day at Universal. Happy Weekend everyone!:sohappy: