Pre-Trip Thanksgiving/Birthday 2017 (Somewhat Live)

I'm finally going back!!! I haven't been to Disney World since 2008, and I have missed it so much. Growing up, my family would go every few years, but that stopped once I started college (my younger sister and I never had matching spring breaks again). This is my first Pre-Trip Report (or Trip Report in general), so I'm asking for both patience and suggestions.

Who: There will be at least three of us on the trip. Me (Liz), my best friend (Katie), and her boyfriend Josh. While I am the third part of that relationship (literally, both of them have told me this on different occasions), we've put the word out among our friends and siblings that the invitation is there if they want to join us. I'd love it if my little sister could join us, especially since we live in different states now, and I can't really imagine a trip to Disney without her.

Where: Because we're young adults who haven't struck it rich quite yet, we're probably staying in Pop Century, or possibly Caribbean Beach Resort (if there are 5 of us).

When: Late November 2017 (We formerly considered September).

How: I recently managed to talk Katie into flying, instead of a 17 hour, nonstop road trip. I recently drove to Texas with my sister to move her to her new home, and I am looking forward to never driving 20 hours again (will that probably happen again? Yes, but I don't want it to be anytime in the near future). [Edit- she just told me that she and Josh were trying to figure out how to talk me into flying; lesson learned, nobody wants to drive from Ohio to Florida]

What: Day 1: Traveling/swimming/exploring Disney Springs/dinner at a restaurant (Narcoossee's, Sanaa, Ohana, or something at DS)
Day 2: Magic Kingdom
Day 3: Parkhopping between Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios
Day 4: Epcot
Day 5: Parkhopping between Universal and IOA (we're big Harry Potter fans)
Day 6: Travel

And now for the big stuff. Like I said before, I haven't been to Disney since 2008. Katie hasn't been since 2012. It's been about 10 years for Josh too. There have been a lot of changes in that time. Magic Bands, FP+, dining plans, price hikes, new rides... Yeah. It's different and exciting, and we can't wait to try it out.

We're thinking we may want to try the Regular Dining Plan. What are the best ways to get our money's worth? Also, what are the best value hotels? Sports looks pretty nice.
Any recommendations would be much appreciated. :happy:

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16 year old me on my last trip in the now-torn-down Streets of America :(

(edited 1/23/2017)
 
Last edited:

Princess Leia

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Okay, so I had read that the whole reason you have to be here 4 hours early is because TSA won’t let you go to your gate until 2 hours before your flight.

I’m through TSA, waiting for breakfast near my gate.

My plane doesn’t board for another two hours.
 

EricsBiscuit

Well-Known Member
Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes :) It’s been a pretty magical time.

Except for this Frozen line. This is incredibly unmagical. Wait time posted as 85 minutes, and I can see the boats being loaded, all while being stuck in the slowest queue I’ve experienced all week.
The rule of thumb for me is that if the line is at the entrance it's an hour wait.
 

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