Pre-Trip Our Bittersweet Return to Disney

Hi again, everyone! We're going back to Disney! While I am very excited about this, I am also very worried about how much we are going to be able to enjoy our trip. For those of you who don't know, we lost Lily in a car accident in December of 2022. She enjoyed going to Disney with me, but she never really loved it like she did Universal and everything Harry Potter, so that makes it a little easier to return. I'm not sure if I'll ever be ready to return to Universal. Last summer we made a short trip to Dollywood to try to make some new memories. The boys decided that it was time to head back to WDW and see how we do.
Here is the last Disney picture I have of us as a family. It happened to be taken on the cruise we took to celebrate Logan's high school graduation.

And here is the last Disney picture I'll ever have of all 3 kids together. They were re-creating an old photo.

And to get one more depressing piece of information out of the way, we had to say good bye to our cat Flik not quite a month ago. It was hard enough anyway, but Lily was his person and I felt like I was letting her down that I couldn't help him in any other way. Luckily, Logan was able to come home and I did it at home with all of us there. It was a rough weekend, but that Monday morning, there were two cardinals in our backyard flitting around and chasing each other. I choose to believe that they are together again and enjoying each others company. We had some beautiful weather the week before and I was able to take him outside to enjoy the sunshine.

Okay, done with the depressing stuff and am ready to discuss this trip.

I think this is the shortest lead up time to a Disney trip I have ever had and I swore I would not take another trip with just one day in each park, but trying to find time between 2 different half Ironman races that Logan is doing this summer, the 424 mile bicycle ride he is doing across Iowa, the end of Owen's club soccer season, the preseason tournaments for Owen's high school soccer team, and my coworkers vacation schedules was very difficult and I feel grateful that we found a week that would work.

When: Wednesday, June 12 - Tuesday, June 18
Where: Pop Century (we have two hopefully connecting rooms)
Who: me (Amy), my husband Brian, Logan (21), Owen (16)
Here is Owen at his first College Showcase this "spring" season. It was snowing and there were 40mph wind gusts!

And here is Logan at the end of his second half Ironman race last summer:

Now for some plans:
June 12 - our flight leaves Columbus at 5:15am. I didn't really want to leave this early, but there was a huge difference in price for the later flights, so butt crack of dawn it is! I'm sure the boys will sleep in the car on the way to the airport and most of the flight. We are set to land at 7:25am. I think we will probably take Mears Connect to get to Pop Century. The plan for the day is just to take it easy since we'll have such an early start to the day. We'll likely head to Disney Springs and check out a few of our favorite resorts and call it an early evening

June 13, 15, 16, 17 - we will spend one day in each park, I just haven't decided which day will be which park yet

June 14 - we have tickets for the Typhoon Lagoon H20 Glow After Hours

June 18 - our flight home leaves at 4:15. We will likely sleep in and have a late breakfast before heading to the airport

I know we could fit more park time in, but the 4 park Magic Tickets that the are offering right now was a good deal, so that's what we went with. Not sure that we will do much table service dining, but I have until April 13 to think more about that. I'm still trying to decide on Memory Maker. It is so expensive now, and I'm not sure if we would use it enough. Last summer, Owen and Logan wouldn't let me take pictures of them at Dollywood since Lily wouldn't be in them, so not sure if they'll be ready this year.

I'll close this out with some pics of our new(ish) kittens, Harry and Cruella!

 

[erstwo]

I agree, London is extreme.

I know there has to be a reason for it, so I won't complain too much - but the absolute bullets I sweat trying to squeeze all of my 'old lady skincare routine' serums and then my shampoo, etc into the standard issue quart bag before I get to the conveyor belt..... Maybe they do it for the entertainment. LOL

 

[DryerLintFan]

Since you don't have it already, I'll mention 2 things (that you might already know)
1 - If you think there's any chance you might be traveling internationally in the next (5) years - kid studying abroad? - you might look into doing Global Entry instead of TSA Precheck - it's a little more paperwork (and appointments are hard to come by sometimes) but it has made arriving back in the USA so much easier for me. And TSA Precheck is 'included' in my Global Pass (essentially, I'm TSA Precheck verified if I have Global Pass)
2- Check to see if your credit card will reimburse you for the Global Pass/ TSA Precheck fees (if AAA isn't covering them for you!) - it's sometimes a nice perk cards will offer.

Ooooh nice tip!! Anything that makes customs less difficult is a win in my book!!

 

[Tiggerish]

Since you don't have it already, I'll mention 2 things (that you might already know)
1 - If you think there's any chance you might be traveling internationally in the next (5) years - kid studying abroad? - you might look into doing Global Entry instead of TSA Precheck - it's a little more paperwork (and appointments are hard to come by sometimes) but it has made arriving back in the USA so much easier for me. And TSA Precheck is 'included' in my Global Pass (essentially, I'm TSA Precheck verified if I have Global Pass)
2- Check to see if your credit card will reimburse you for the Global Pass/ TSA Precheck fees (if AAA isn't covering them for you!) - it's sometimes a nice perk cards will offer.

Same! You beat me to the advice. I frequently travel internationally, so got the Global Entry, with the bonus of PreCheck. #winning!

Made my hubby apply as well, and it took a VERY long time for his appointment, but he finally got it, and wow, what a godsend.

I know there has to be a reason for it, so I won't complain too much - but the absolute bullets I sweat trying to squeeze all of my 'old lady skincare routine' serums and then my shampoo, etc into the standard issue quart bag before I get to the conveyor belt..... Maybe they do it for the entertainment. LOL

Amen, sister. They are a special breed at the UK equivalent of TSA, even when you know what to expect/what you're doing.

I cant' tell you the number of uninformed people (I use that phrase instead of a singe word that I would be more inclined to use) who I have seen try to go through security in Dublin with a full bottle of whiskey in their carryon...and they're always like "but it's unopened!!" and the (Irish equivalent of TSA) are like, it's over 300ml...so. And I can tell that it pains the Irish TSA to toss the whole bottle in the trash, but that's what they do.

 

[LeighM]

It's one of the best things we've ever done. It's 100% worth the price. We fly out of ATL and we've never had to wait more than a few minutes. The TSA agents in the pre-check line are slightly less mean and I feel as though I'm not yelled at as much as regular security.

I'm still yelled at by TSA every time I fly because I don't fly frequently enough to remember the routine for the precheck. One time was actually really funny because I had a full Gatorade bottle in my carry on backpack and she started laughing when she saw how confused I was before I yelled my husband's name who had quickly gotten through security. He had put it in my bag without me knowing and then forgot he had put it there. I was so mad

 

[Tiggerish]

I'm still yelled at by TSA every time I fly because I don't fly frequently enough to remember the routine for the precheck. One time was actually really funny because I had a full Gatorade bottle in my carry on backpack and she started laughing when she saw how confused I was before I yelled my husband's name who had quickly gotten through security. He had put it in my bag without me knowing and then forgot he had put it there. I was so mad

I'd have killed him. Straight up...

 

[LeighM]

I'd have killed him. Straight up...

He heard me complain for hours after that so he might have preferred that I had killed him rather than hear me harp about it for the entire flight LOL. And what made me even madder was that I kept complaining about how heavy my bag was and how thirsty I was getting the entire time we were waiting in line and it didn't trigger his memory.

 

[TheMouseFan]

Slight change to the plans:

I know lots of people don't like CBR, but we all love it! When I first booked, there were only king bed rooms available and I'm pretty sure Logan and Owen didn't want to share a king bed, so we went with Pop instead. I just happened to be browsing today and a 5th sleeper room popped up. I had to call because I couldn't see if two rooms were available without actually changing one first, so I ended up having a nice conversation with Utah and he got both rooms changed over for us. I am so excited!!

 

[DryerLintFan]

Slight change to the plans:
View attachment 775406

I know lots of people don't like CBR, but we all love it! When I first booked, there were only king bed rooms available and I'm pretty sure Logan and Owen didn't want to share a king bed, so we went with Pop instead. I just happened to be browsing today and a 5th sleeper room popped up. I had to call because I couldn't see if two rooms were available without actually changing one first, so I ended up having a nice conversation with Utah and he got both rooms changed over for us. I am so excited!!

I don’t know how many CMs are named Utah, but one named Utah helped me on my last trip and he was a really helpful, professional, and cheery guy

 

[TheMouseFan]

I don’t know how many CMs are named Utah, but one named Utah helped me on my last trip and he was a really helpful, professional, and cheery guy

I can't imagine there would be many. He was very personable and we talked about all kinds of things while he was waiting on the computer system.

 

[joshsprincess921]

I was just looking at some pictures of the refurbished rooms and think they look so nice and airy!
Are they done refurbing the whole resort? I've never stayed at CBR, but I think it's beautiful.

 

[TheMouseFan]

I was just looking at some pictures of the refurbished rooms and think they look so nice and airy!
Are they done refurbing the whole resort? I've never stayed at CBR, but I think it's beautiful.

They are done. The rooms in Trinidad are the only ones that are Under the Sea themed. The rest just got a little refresh.

 

[TheMouseFan]

I'm trying to plan out what days for what parks so I can be ready for dining reservations next Saturday and I need some advice. I normally try to arrive and leave on weekends and not have any park days be Saturday or Sunday when we are only going for a week, but that didn't happen this time due to having to work around my coworker's vacation. I'll do this park by park to start with.
My initial thinking was that the first day would be a rest day/Disney Springs since we have such an early flight with an early evening so we would be ready to hit the ground running on Thursday. Then I thought we would do park days on Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday with Saturday being another rest day. However, they then released the dates for the Typhoon Lagoon After Hours event and there was one during our trip. The boys were excited for it, so I got the tickets for Friday night. Since we only have 4 park days, I don't want to cut another park short to be able to make it to TL, so our rest day is now Friday morning/afternoon with TL from 6ish to 11pm.

Magic Kingdom - my initial thought was that I didn't want to do a weekend day, Friday, or Monday because lots of people arrive and depart on the weekend and want to start or end their trip with MK, so that leaves Thursday which is fine. Then the boys heard about the MK After Hours event that happened to fall on that Thursday and were really excited about being in MK so late. So now we have tickets to that from 10pm-1am. That is going to make for a very long MK day, but we will take a break in the afternoon and have dinner outside of the park. It also works out well that we have no plans Friday morning because of the TL After Hours event in the evening, so I can let the boys sleep in as long as they want to (or until I think it has been long enough and want to go do something!!) I am somewhat concerned about when Tiana's Bayou may open and the impact that will have on crowds and wait times if it falls close to when we are there, but we are locked in to that day now, so no use worrying about it until we know more details.

Epcot - I have heard that weekends can be bad because of the locals coming out to drink around the world, so I originally was thinking Monday. Historically, extra evening hours are Monday at Epcot. For those that have been to Epcot on a Monday recently, does this significantly impact how crowded it is around World Showcase in the evening? Then today, they announced that Test Track is closing starting that Monday we were planning to go. That in and of itself doesn't bother me as Brian and the boys say they don't care if we ride it or not, what I am concerned about is if the lack of the ride will cause all of the other rides to be much more crowded with longer waits. So now I have to decide if I want to go Saturday or Sunday with potentially bigger crowds trying to get on Test Track one last time and possibly inebriated people in World Showcase, or if I want to leave it on Monday with potentially longer waits due to lack of Test Track. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios - the plan was for these to be Saturday and Sunday because historically they have been less crowded on the weekend than MK and Epcot, but that looks to be out the window now. I think if we move Epcot, it will likely be to Saturday and then we will do DHS on Sunday and AK on Monday. I chose Epcot on Saturday and DHS on Sunday because Epcot has a slightly later opening time and we will be at the After Hours event on Friday until 11. Not so much a problem for the boys, but trying to be nice to me and Brian! If we leave Epcot on Monday, we will likely do DHS on Saturday and AK on Sunday for the same reason.

Any thoughts or suggestions welcome!

And I prefer posts with pics, so here are a couple more of the kittens!

 

[rshell68]

Seems like Disney knew you were coming with all the After Hours experiences LOL

 

[Swissmiss]

Do you have a Touring Plans subscription and looked to see what their crowd calendar says?

 

[Wicked Sisters]

I'm trying to plan out what days for what parks so I can be ready for dining reservations next Saturday and I need some advice. I normally try to arrive and leave on weekends and not have any park days be Saturday or Sunday when we are only going for a week, but that didn't happen this time due to having to work around my coworker's vacation. I'll do this park by park to start with.
My initial thinking was that the first day would be a rest day/Disney Springs since we have such an early flight with an early evening so we would be ready to hit the ground running on Thursday. Then I thought we would do park days on Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday with Saturday being another rest day. However, they then released the dates for the Typhoon Lagoon After Hours event and there was one during our trip. The boys were excited for it, so I got the tickets for Friday night. Since we only have 4 park days, I don't want to cut another park short to be able to make it to TL, so our rest day is now Friday morning/afternoon with TL from 6ish to 11pm.

Magic Kingdom - my initial thought was that I didn't want to do a weekend day, Friday, or Monday because lots of people arrive and depart on the weekend and want to start or end their trip with MK, so that leaves Thursday which is fine. Then the boys heard about the MK After Hours event that happened to fall on that Thursday and were really excited about being in MK so late. So now we have tickets to that from 10pm-1am. That is going to make for a very long MK day, but we will take a break in the afternoon and have dinner outside of the park. It also works out well that we have no plans Friday morning because of the TL After Hours event in the evening, so I can let the boys sleep in as long as they want to (or until I think it has been long enough and want to go do something!!) I am somewhat concerned about when Tiana's Bayou may open and the impact that will have on crowds and wait times if it falls close to when we are there, but we are locked in to that day now, so no use worrying about it until we know more details.

Epcot - I have heard that weekends can be bad because of the locals coming out to drink around the world, so I originally was thinking Monday. Historically, extra evening hours are Monday at Epcot. For those that have been to Epcot on a Monday recently, does this significantly impact how crowded it is around World Showcase in the evening? Then today, they announced that Test Track is closing starting that Monday we were planning to go. That in and of itself doesn't bother me as Brian and the boys say they don't care if we ride it or not, what I am concerned about is if the lack of the ride will cause all of the other rides to be much more crowded with longer waits. So now I have to decide if I want to go Saturday or Sunday with potentially bigger crowds trying to get on Test Track one last time and possibly inebriated people in World Showcase, or if I want to leave it on Monday with potentially longer waits due to lack of Test Track. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios - the plan was for these to be Saturday and Sunday because historically they have been less crowded on the weekend than MK and Epcot, but that looks to be out the window now. I think if we move Epcot, it will likely be to Saturday and then we will do DHS on Sunday and AK on Monday. I chose Epcot on Saturday and DHS on Sunday because Epcot has a slightly later opening time and we will be at the After Hours event on Friday until 11. Not so much a problem for the boys, but trying to be nice to me and Brian! If we leave Epcot on Monday, we will likely do DHS on Saturday and AK on Sunday for the same reason.

Any thoughts or suggestions welcome!

And I prefer posts with pics, so here are a couple more of the kittens!
View attachment 777306
View attachment 777307

Love your bedspread, we brought shoulder bags in that pattern from the Polynesian hotel shop last year. Adorable pics of the kittens.

 

[TheMouseFan]

Seems like Disney knew you were coming with all the After Hours experiences LOL

It does seem that way, huh!?!

Do you have a Touring Plans subscription and looked to see what their crowd calendar says?

I don't anymore, but I should be able to see our dates starting next Sunday, so I plan to look then. I know things can change before the trip, but I'm not going to pay for just that calendar.

Love your bedspread, we brought shoulder bags in that pattern from the Polynesian hotel shop last year. Adorable pics of the kittens.

Thanks! I love that pattern and have several styles of bags in it!

 

[Tiki Traveler]

Sorry I can’t help much w/your plans. We just went right after New Year’s and encountered mega crowds every day.

But I will echo your statements that older kids like later park hours. Something that I need to keep in mind for future trips also. This definitely affects the way you craft a trip. Bring those glow bracelets for MK! They help you see and be seen!

 

[TheMouseFan]

You all talked me into getting TSA Precheck! Logan had his interview last Friday and I got his number on Tuesday. Brian, Owen, and I have our interviews this afternoon, so will hopefully have our numbers early next week.

We have decided on our park days, but only Thursday and Friday are set in stone at this point. Wednesday will be Disney Springs and an early evening. Thursday is of course MK and the After Hours at MK. Friday is sleeping in and Typhoon Lagoon After Hours. Saturday will be Epcot. Sunday will be AK. Monday will be DHS. And Tuesday will probably involve some resort hopping until we have to leave for the airport.

I don't know if any of you remember Sweetpee_1993 (Kelly) from on here quite a few years back, but we are meeting her and her husband, Tracey, for dinner at 'Ohana on Thursday and then we are all attending the After Hours at MK. I am super excited for that meet up!

Brian had an appointment at the spine clinic today. He has been having back pain and tingling in his toes the last few months. MRI showed a fractured vertebrae and a bulging disc. Luckily, they feel it can be managed medically. He has two more tests scheduled to make sure, but fingers crossed! I keep teasing him that we're going to have to rent a scooter for him! He is adamant that he will not get one! He really doesn't need one though because his back actually feels better when he is standing and walking, but I like to give him a hard time! The really good news is that there are no restrictions on what he can ride as long as it doesn't hurt him.

I'll wrap this up with a few pics of what Logan is doing today. He is in California for the Collegiate Club Triathlon Nationals.

 

[TheMouseFan]

Which means...dining reservation time!
Wed, 6/12 - late lunch at City Works
Thurs, 6/13 - dinner at 'Ohana
Fri, 6/14 - late lunch at Whispering Canyon
Sat and Sun - counter service at Epcot and AK
Mon, 6/17 - dinner at 50's Prime Time
Tues, 6/18 - breakfast at Boma

Brian and I spent the morning at the zoo today to see the spring blooms. The tulips were a little past their peak bloom, but still pretty! Made me think about how disappointed I am that Flower and Garden is ending over a month earlier this year and we are missing it!

 

[meggo819]

I don't know if any of you remember Sweetpee_1993 (Kelly) from on here quite a few years back, but we are meeting her and her husband, Tracey, for dinner at 'Ohana on Thursday and then we are all attending the After Hours at MK. I am super excited for that meet up!

I remember her trip reports! Sounds like a great time.