As others have done, I thought I would post our planned itinerary before we left, then see how that measures up to our actual trip. Things have already started with a bang as I had to have a tooth extracted this morning. I hope I'm not doing the Disney tour of vicodin, mashed potatoes, soup and ice cream all week. A word of warning -- I'm more than a little wordy and this pre-trip report is long. I'm sure the actual TR will be longer still.
The cast: Just me (39), and my bride (30). This is our first trip to the World. After a whirlwind trip to Disneyland last summer (I was in Orange County on business), my wife wanted to try a trip to Disney World. We're staying at POFQ and are on the DDP. We'll be in the parks eight full days and hopefully we'll leave feeling we saw and did everything we wanted to and without regrets. Oh -- thanks to the folks who responded to our poll here, we decided to go to MNSSHP instead of La Nouba. We made our costumes last night!
I'm taking my laptop with me and would like to update the TR while I'm there, but I have a feeling we're going to be focusing on resting and recuperating in our down time.
Day 1 - Wednesday, Sept. 3 - Pre-travel Day
We'll make the four-hour trek to Denver and do some Speedo shopping before we turn in early before our flight. OK, I'm not really buying a Speedo (there should be a law), but we do need a couple more things before we take off.
Day 2 - Thursday, Sept. 4 - Travel Day
Up at 3:30 a.m. to get parked and to the airport. Our flight leaves at 6 a.m., we have a three-hour layover at DFW and we arrive at MCO at 3:50.
With any luck, we'll have a few minutes to decompress before heading to DTD for 7 p.m. dinner at Wolfgang Puck Cafe. The bride would love to get one ride on Jungle Cruise before turning in if we can make it to MK after dinner.
Day 3 - Friday, Sept. 5 - Epcot Day 1
We've got a full schedule this day in hopes of seeing as much of Epcot as we can. We have two days scheduled for Epcot and want to spend the second day focusing on the favorites we discovered on this day. We're having dinner at the Biergarten.
Day 4 - Saturday, Sept. 6 - KSC/Cocoa Beach
We're renting a car for a day and driving over to tour Kennedy Space Center, eat some seafood and dip our toes in the surf (my wife's first time to see the Atlantic). Hopefully Hanna will have uneventfully blown through and everything will be beautiful by Saturday. (Have I mentioned that I can't help feeling it's a little macabre staying in a New Orleans themed resort when a hurricane is blowing in?) We're stopping by SuperT on the way back to the hotel to pick up some snacks and breakfast stuff.
Day 5 - Sunday, Sept. 7 - MK Day 1
Like our Epcot plan, we have a full schedule this day and will spend a second day here focusing on our favorites. Since we've been to Disneyland, we know there are some "must dos." Dinner at Tony's Townesquare.
Day 6 - Monday, Sept. 8 - Water Parks
The plan is to sleep in this day and spend most of our time at Typhoon Lagoon and a little time at Blizzard Beach. Then a long rest and off to Hollywood Studios for dinner at Sci-Fi and maybe Fantasmic.
Day 7 - Tuesday, Sept. 9 - Animal Kingdom/DTD
We originally had more time scheduled for AK, but since we decided on MNSSHP late in the game, we switched this day around. We'll be here until mid-afternoon, then we'll break and get ready for dinner at Narcoossee's. Then we hope to have enough energy after dinner to spend some time at DTD doing some shopping and checking out DisneyQuest.
Day 8 - Wednesday, Sept. 10 - Epcot Day 2
We're shooting for a semi-relaxed, no-rush day at Epcot doing all the stuff we didn't do the first day, or riding the rides that have become our new faves. Early dinner at Akershus, then back at POFQ early.
Day 9 - Thursday, Sept. 11 - DHS
Full day at Hollywood Studios with a long afternoon break to accommodate our dinner at Boma. If we don't see Fantasmic early in the week, we'll try again this night. Since the park closes at 8 p.m., I'm thinking another trip to DTD may be requested by the shopaholic in the group.
Day 10 - Friday , Sept. 12 - MK Day 2
We switched our schedule around so we could spend this day at MK and the night at MNSSHP. After a long afternoon break, we're changing into our costumes and heading back. We'll grab a Reuben at The Plaza and try our best not to fill up on food that's NOT candy!
Day 11 - Saturday, Sept. 13 - Favorites Day
Since this is our last day, we didn't make any specific plans, other than dinner at Chefs de France. We'll just do whatever we want this day and soak in as much magic as humanly possible.
Day 12 - Saturday, Sept. 14 - The Day of Sadness
Our flight back home is at 11 a.m. and we're due back in Colorado before 3. Hopefully, we can get back home before dark and get some rest.
The cast: Just me (39), and my bride (30). This is our first trip to the World. After a whirlwind trip to Disneyland last summer (I was in Orange County on business), my wife wanted to try a trip to Disney World. We're staying at POFQ and are on the DDP. We'll be in the parks eight full days and hopefully we'll leave feeling we saw and did everything we wanted to and without regrets. Oh -- thanks to the folks who responded to our poll here, we decided to go to MNSSHP instead of La Nouba. We made our costumes last night!
I'm taking my laptop with me and would like to update the TR while I'm there, but I have a feeling we're going to be focusing on resting and recuperating in our down time.
Day 1 - Wednesday, Sept. 3 - Pre-travel Day
We'll make the four-hour trek to Denver and do some Speedo shopping before we turn in early before our flight. OK, I'm not really buying a Speedo (there should be a law), but we do need a couple more things before we take off.
Day 2 - Thursday, Sept. 4 - Travel Day
Up at 3:30 a.m. to get parked and to the airport. Our flight leaves at 6 a.m., we have a three-hour layover at DFW and we arrive at MCO at 3:50.
With any luck, we'll have a few minutes to decompress before heading to DTD for 7 p.m. dinner at Wolfgang Puck Cafe. The bride would love to get one ride on Jungle Cruise before turning in if we can make it to MK after dinner.
Day 3 - Friday, Sept. 5 - Epcot Day 1
We've got a full schedule this day in hopes of seeing as much of Epcot as we can. We have two days scheduled for Epcot and want to spend the second day focusing on the favorites we discovered on this day. We're having dinner at the Biergarten.
Day 4 - Saturday, Sept. 6 - KSC/Cocoa Beach
We're renting a car for a day and driving over to tour Kennedy Space Center, eat some seafood and dip our toes in the surf (my wife's first time to see the Atlantic). Hopefully Hanna will have uneventfully blown through and everything will be beautiful by Saturday. (Have I mentioned that I can't help feeling it's a little macabre staying in a New Orleans themed resort when a hurricane is blowing in?) We're stopping by SuperT on the way back to the hotel to pick up some snacks and breakfast stuff.
Day 5 - Sunday, Sept. 7 - MK Day 1
Like our Epcot plan, we have a full schedule this day and will spend a second day here focusing on our favorites. Since we've been to Disneyland, we know there are some "must dos." Dinner at Tony's Townesquare.
Day 6 - Monday, Sept. 8 - Water Parks
The plan is to sleep in this day and spend most of our time at Typhoon Lagoon and a little time at Blizzard Beach. Then a long rest and off to Hollywood Studios for dinner at Sci-Fi and maybe Fantasmic.
Day 7 - Tuesday, Sept. 9 - Animal Kingdom/DTD
We originally had more time scheduled for AK, but since we decided on MNSSHP late in the game, we switched this day around. We'll be here until mid-afternoon, then we'll break and get ready for dinner at Narcoossee's. Then we hope to have enough energy after dinner to spend some time at DTD doing some shopping and checking out DisneyQuest.
Day 8 - Wednesday, Sept. 10 - Epcot Day 2
We're shooting for a semi-relaxed, no-rush day at Epcot doing all the stuff we didn't do the first day, or riding the rides that have become our new faves. Early dinner at Akershus, then back at POFQ early.
Day 9 - Thursday, Sept. 11 - DHS
Full day at Hollywood Studios with a long afternoon break to accommodate our dinner at Boma. If we don't see Fantasmic early in the week, we'll try again this night. Since the park closes at 8 p.m., I'm thinking another trip to DTD may be requested by the shopaholic in the group.
Day 10 - Friday , Sept. 12 - MK Day 2
We switched our schedule around so we could spend this day at MK and the night at MNSSHP. After a long afternoon break, we're changing into our costumes and heading back. We'll grab a Reuben at The Plaza and try our best not to fill up on food that's NOT candy!
Day 11 - Saturday, Sept. 13 - Favorites Day
Since this is our last day, we didn't make any specific plans, other than dinner at Chefs de France. We'll just do whatever we want this day and soak in as much magic as humanly possible.
Day 12 - Saturday, Sept. 14 - The Day of Sadness
Our flight back home is at 11 a.m. and we're due back in Colorado before 3. Hopefully, we can get back home before dark and get some rest.
