Pre-Trip The Best Days Are Still Ahead Of Us - January 2016 | Pre-Trip Report

Hey guys! So this is my very first ever pre-trip report and will also be my very first trip report when the time comes so please bear with me as I try to figure things out. It will surely be an adventure, that's for sure.
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A little background about how our trip came to be first and then I'll introduce the gang!

{How It Happened}
So earlier this Spring I was sitting at home dreaming of a vacation as my students were starting to get restless as the year started to come to a close (I am an afterschool teacher and I think we were just all ready for a little break). I had to search through the dozens of empty Dove chocolate wrappers that surrounded me on the bed (I told you those kids and I were ready for school to be over) to find my phone and I quickly dialed my Mother's number. "Mom", I pouted into the phone, "You know how it's been such a long time since we took a family vacation together, and I missed out on that last trip you guys took to Hawaii...", my voice trailed off. Pure silence on the other end. A huge knot formed in my throat as I grew nervous about the question, she didn't seem in the mood to hear about my vacation ideas at the moment, as she had previously turned down several other ideas about Cabo San Lucas and Aruba. "Well, I was thinking...what if, what if we went to Disney World? Giovanni and I could drive to save money and I...". "That was our favorite vacation when you and you were brother were little, I think we could do that!", my Mother cut me off. For a moment I couldn't breathe. Did she really just say yes? I stared blankly at the wall for a moment before responding, "Um, wait, really? Are you sure? And Giovanni can come too?". (For the record, Giovanni is my boyfriend of over two years) "We wouldn't go if he wasn't coming, Megan", she laughed. So it was final, we were going to Disney World, and all my dreams were coming true, I just couldn't believe it. Little did I know though, that I would be the one put in charge of the planning process. As my Mom put it, "You plan, we'll pay...I don't want to deal with that planning nightmare I dealt with when you two were kids." But I'll talk a little more about that later, we'll save that story for another time, because that certainly was quite the experience. Oh boy!

Now I need to introduce myself and my family (and Giovanni totally counts as part of the family! Or at least he might as well be part of it, my parents just adore him!)

{Family}
So funny thing...I actually don't have any updated photos of my entire family, so here's a photo of us at Epcot in 2000. (Don't worry, we'll for sure be getting and updated photo- or a hundred- when we visit WDW)
Mom [Karen], Dad [Bill], Me [Megan-24], Brother [Andrew-turning 21 while we visit]
gyQWNfQ.png

So obviously my little brother Andrew doesn't look very much like that anymore. I really wish I had an updated photo for you guys right now. But since I don't I'm going to have you guys try this...close your eyes...okay, did you do it? Okay great. Now, picture him at about 6'1" and with a full-on mountain man beard. Like left out in the wild for years...decades, without a razor. Or even picture Tom Hanks from Castaway without his companion Wilson. Now picture some glasses as well and you're good to go. That's Andrew. Unless he plans on shaving or something, but I feel that's pretty unlikely. He went all Gandalf on us as soon as he was able to start growing facial hair.
My parents look pretty much the same, they just don't wear their pants as high up on their waists and they look a little bit older (but don't tell my Mom I said that, okay? Please?! Tell her I said she doesn't look a day over 27. Okay, great).

Updated photo of Giovanni [24, going to be 25 during visit] and I (Fun fact: We love Korean food...we are planning a trip to Seoul, South Korea for 2017!)
PJ3pMyE.jpg

Giovanni is a professional videographer who will be making a little video of our vacation for my parents...I'm really excited to see what he is going to come up with and the reason for the title of this thread is because that is the song we have already picked for the video. "Ahead Of Us" by Tom Swoon, Lush & Simon.
When Giovanni creates and finishes the video I promise I'll share it with ya'll, but until then if you'd like to see what you're in store for, you can check out some of his work at his website:
www.giovannilazarini.com

{Trip Details}
Where: Walt Disney World, Orlando Florida - Port Orleans Riverside Resort
When: January 8-13, 2016
Why: Vacation and my brother's 21st birthday!

Stay tuned for the fun details all about my Disney planning nightmare! ;D
I do have to go to work now...we have a field trip with my summer camp students today and I get to go play with all kinds of fun science experiments, so hopefully I'll have enough energy to come write a little later. If I don't, I'll come write you guys this weekend, I promise! I'll at least stop by to come check comments- if there are any :eek: !
 
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StarfishAndStingrays

Member
Original Poster
Part Three | You Might As Well Be Flying To Europe, Sir

Dear Diary,
It's the morning of June 22, 2015 and I'm waiting by my phone in my PJ's shortly after awakening at 5:45 am. In less than 15 minutes now the phone lines are going to open up for Walt Disney World and I will make the mad dash to dial the number to champion my way into grabbing a cast member to book a Vacation Package for our January 2016 visit. Will I survive? Will I complete my goal and take home the gold? Godspeed Megan, Godspeed...
Love,
Megan


I dealt with that annoying automated menu that always makes me repeat myself about a hundred times before it finally says "Please hold while we get a cast member on the line...", after getting just as equally frustrated with me as I am with it, and finally got put through to a cast member. The conversation was pretty easy- we set up room reservations for two separate rooms, noted my brothers birthday on January 9th, noted Giovanni's first visit (oh heck yes I was going to definitely going to be making sure he wore that button around), and made sure the rooms were close but not too close. Then we made sure we added the 6-day Park Hopper tickets and finally moved on to discuss adding on flights. This is where things started to get a little sticky.
When I had looked at airfare back in the Spring the ticket prices were pretty low. I really should have just booked our flights then...but my Mom was just so insistent on booking every single thing through Disney, so I had to wait for the packages to be released. In the Spring the prices for a 6am flight out of Dallas, TX to arrive in Orlando around 9:30am were actually extremely reasonable-less than $300 per person. Of course, now when looking at the prices they are about $297 MORE per person. Hellbent on finding a better deal I told the cast member I would not be needing to hear any quotes for flights after all. He persisted and I finally caved and agreed it couldn't hurt to just at least hear them and see if they may help us save a little. My jaw dropped as the cast member recited the prices to me along with each set of flight times-in of course, the the most upbeat tone of voice a person working for Disney could have at 6am. "Whoa whoa whoa, wait...you're telling me, it would cost me just about as much to fly there, as it's costing us to stay there for the entire week WITH our park tickets?" I shot out at the poor cast member. I sat back in my chair in disbelief, at this point I had about half an hour before I was supposed to be in my car and driving to work and I was getting pretty frustrated that things weren't going as smoothly as they were with the room and tickets. I begged him to help me find a solution because that just wasn't going to work...I was just going to have to walk to Florida to save money at this point...good thing I just bought those new running shoes.
After another 15 minutes of checking flight times I was starting to get anxious and I kept looking at the clock and wondered if being on the phone with Walt Disney World was a legitimate reason to call in to work. Suddenly the cast member shouted, "Aha! I think I've found a good solution for you! I've found a 10:16am flight out of Dallas International..." *click* the phone went dead.
Seriously AT&T?!
(For the record, the cast member that helped me was awesome. He was so helpful and kind and we thankfully were able to get reconnected at another time so I could say my thank you's for his earlier help!)
I was already cutting it close to being late for work so I threw on my clothes and rushed out the door, and put my Mother on speakerphone as I hurried towards my school. As if being disconnected from Disney in the middle of great news wasn't enough to put me in a bad mood, I now got to battle 7am traffic and blinding morning sun in my eyes all while trying to explain to my Mother that we're going to probably end up arriving in Orlando a little later than 9:30am now...something I wasn't too thrilled about myself. I wanted as much time in the Happiest Place on Earth as I could get...lord knows I needed it right about now- take me to Disney, STAT! My Mother of course had no idea what I was talking about, further fueling my frustration, and we agreed to hang up and discuss our little issue again once we both got off of work later that day. My day would drag on and I would spend my entire shift thinking non-stop about how badly I would need a foot massage after that long walk from Texas to Florida.
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The drive home dragged on just like my work day did and everyone in front of me seemed to be driving at the speed of 10mph. I was just ready to be home so I could finally discuss this flight disaster with my Mother. A little after 5pm I finally arrived home, throwing my things all over the place like a tornado hit and I quickly dialed my Mother. "Mom, okay, okay, so yeah we have to get this figured out!" I shouted, nearly out of breath. I could just sense that the ticket prices were slowly inching their way up in price as we spoke. "Megan, I don't even understand all this. Your Father is better at this kind of stuff. He is the one flying all the time for work anyway. He will be home around 6 or 6:30...I'll just have him call you once he gets home from work and you and him can figure it out, because I'm even more confused than you are", she calmly replied. I, at this point, was about to have a heart attack...didn't she realize that within an hour those prices could go up like...I don't know, a thousand dollars?! (For the record, the prices had gone up maybe $20 per person that entire day, but I was in panic mode) "But Mom..." I began "Megan, I can't, I don't get it! Just talk to your Father!" she interrupted. We both were defeated by the airlines already. Neither of us knew nothing about flying or how to grab the best prices, so we both agreed that she was right, and that waiting for my Father, the expert, was indeed what needed to be done. Even if that meant a $1,000 increase or whatever.

At 6:15 I received a text from my Dad asking me to call him if I wanted to talk about flights. Within seconds I had him on the phone explaining the entire situation with of course, extreme panic that we were going to just have to walk to Florida. He told me to calm down and that he would have everything under control. We both got on the phone with Disney together and he smoothly talked his way through the entire process and got our flights set up. The man is a pro, let me tell you. He should be though, after taking over a dozen international flights in less than 5 years for business...I mean you have to be an expert in handling the airline companies after that, right?
There was one thing that happened that did make me laugh though. I know he had had a very long day at work and when the Disney cast member had quoted the price for the first flight for 3 people at around $800 he coolly stated, "Oh $800 each? That isn't too bad, great!". The cast member was silent for moment, as was I. I think we were both in shock and a bit confused on how my Father could have possibly thought we were flying to Orlando from Texas in coach at $800 a pop. The cast member awkwardly laughed and told him, "You might as well be flying to Europe, Sir".

It took him a few moments to realize she had meant that the $800 was the total for 3 people and not the cost per person. Since he was okay with that though, I would have been more than happy to upgrade to First Class! Hehe...

Our end results are that we are leaving just before 12pm from Dallas International on January 8th, 2016 on and returning on a late flight (yay!) just before 9pm on January 13th, 2016. With the plane tickets purchased this Disney trip is getting more and more real. With hotel reservations made, park tickets purchased and now our flights booked, the last thing to do is wait for dining reservations to open up later this month! (And of course, FastPass reservations later in November!).

Part Four will be headed your way as soon as dining reservations begin to open up for our booking dates (July 12th!) I for one, am super excited! I am hoping I am able to grab some of the places we are excited to try! Stay tuned to find out what some of those places are...I'm keeping it a secret until then! ;)
 
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FlaggNL

Well-Known Member
Wow what a story, but at least you have your tickets for a fair price :) We also have a WDW trip in 2016, October so we have to wait for booking air tickets and hopefully with a fair price!!! Good luck with the ADR's and FP+ :)
 

StarfishAndStingrays

Member
Original Poster
Wow what a story, but at least you have your tickets for a fair price :) We also have a WDW trip in 2016, October so we have to wait for booking air tickets and hopefully with a fair price!!! Good luck with the ADR's and FP+ :)

Good luck! I hope you are able to get a good price as well! It's definitely a lot of work trying to get the best deal with flights...at least it felt that way for me, someone with no experience at all, haha.

And thank you! :)
I'm excited to share that experience with all of you when I'm able to!
 

FlaggNL

Well-Known Member
Good luck! I hope you are able to get a good price as well! It's definitely a lot of work trying to get the best deal with flights...at least it felt that way for me, someone with no experience at all, haha. And thank you! :) I'm excited to share that experience with all of you when I'm able to!

Let's hope we will get fair prices as well. For us it is more difficult, since we have to fly over the ocean. We always try a direct connection between Amsterdam and Orlando, but that is just one company that does so. Another option is go from Amsterdam to London and from London to Orlando. We'll see about it. We have to wait until 11 months prior to the trip before being able to book a flight.

We also like to share our experience and excitement with all the ppl here :) That's why we have a PTR as well since we also have a trip to WDW next October :) We are lucky that wehave 2 trips in our plans :)
 

StarfishAndStingrays

Member
Original Poster
Let's hope we will get fair prices as well. For us it is more difficult, since we have to fly over the ocean. We always try a direct connection between Amsterdam and Orlando, but that is just one company that does so. Another option is go from Amsterdam to London and from London to Orlando. We'll see about it. We have to wait until 11 months prior to the trip before being able to book a flight.

We also like to share our experience and excitement with all the ppl here :) That's why we have a PTR as well since we also have a trip to WDW next October :) We are lucky that wehave 2 trips in our plans :)
Oh goodness, yes I can imagine that does make things quite a bit more difficult!
And 11 months prior- oh my!

2 trips is fantastic! I will follow along with your PTR as well!
 

StarfishAndStingrays

Member
Original Poster
Hey guys, just a quick update...
I wanted to apologize for neglecting my PTR here...I've been quite busy on my cruising forums with our upcoming cruise in November and I've also been pretty busy with work (lots of field trips and long days keeping me busy between planning for the cruise and Disney).

The good news is that I can make the dining reservations starting tomorrow so hopefully I will have some fun updates on that for you guys tomorrow afternoon, so stay tuned and check back then! :D
 

FlaggNL

Well-Known Member
Oh goodness, yes I can imagine that does make things quite a bit more difficult! And 11 months prior- oh my! 2 trips is fantastic! I will follow along with your PTR as well!

Thanks! I am sure we will find some great prices for the flight to WDW :) Off course for our first Oct 2015 trip everything is settled except some ADR's and FP+ :)
 

StarfishAndStingrays

Member
Original Poster
Oh my gosh guys, I'm so sorry for the late update...it's been a little crazy around here. I ended up getting pretty sick on Sunday and then was out of commission because of that. But I'm back...for now!

So I made my ADR's! All but one...dun, dun dun....
I learned that unfortunately the Fantasmic! Dining Packages weren't released yet for January so that was the one I was unable to make, which makes me very sad.

With the chance to finally make all my other ADR's though, I realized that I needed to change around which park we'd be visiting when...I had thought I had it all planned out before but I was so wrong. After killing a few trees by using up quite a few sheets of paper to scribble out countless different equations of schedules we could attempt, I think I've finally found the perfect fit. The only thing I'm a little sad about is that we won't be visiting Magic Kingdom on our first day, because the early park hours just didn't make sense. I'd rather have the extra hour at Hollywood Studios and save Magic Kingdom for another evening when we would have access to late hours. Disney in January with early hours definitely makes things a bit more difficult.

So here is the final (or maybe not so final) schedule I have come up with:

January 8th
Arrive in Orlando after 3:30pm (I can't remember the exact flight time, 3:33pm maybe?)
Arrive at hotel via Magical Express (hopefully) before 5pm
Arrive at Hollywood Studios by (hopefully) 5:45pm
Have the best time ever at HS until close and head back to the hotel after 9pm (Extra Magic Hour)
zzzzz.....

January 9th
Up early for Extra Magic Hour for Animal Kingdom
Leave AK for Magic Kingdom around 12/12:30pm
Leave Magic Kingdom for Downtown Disney at 5:45pm
ADR | Fulton's Crab House @ 6:40pm to celebrate my brother's 21st birthday
After dinner head back to Magic Kingdom to do more rides, catch the Electric Parade, Wishes Fireworks and the Extra Magic Hour
zzzzz.....

January 10th
Up early for Extra Magic Hour for Hollywood Studios
ADR | 50's Prime Time Cafe @ 11:25am

After lunch, leave HS for Epcot around 3pm (or earlier)
Hang out in Epcot until 9pm
zzzzz.....

January 11th
Up early for Extra Magic Hour for Animal Kingdom
Leave AK for Magic Kingdom around 1/1:30pm
Hang out in Magic Kingdom until they make us leave
zzzzz.....

January 12th
Sleep in (okay, not really, because my body doesn't let me sleep past 5am) and head to Epcot
Spend all day in Epcot & attempt the Drink Around the World Challenge
ADR | Tutto Italia Ristorante @ 7pm

Leave Epcot when they force us to leave
Do a little packing
zzzzz....

January 13th
Up early, finish packing, bring luggage to airport desk and check-out
Savor the last breakfast
Spend time in whatever park(s) we feel we needed more time at
Head back to Port Orleans Riverside by 5:30pm to be taken to the airport by Magical Express
Board plane before 8:55pm
Say goodbye to Orlando as we lift off the ground
Cry in my seat
Dream of being back at Disney again soon
zzzzz.....
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
Ah all the drama with the booking was stressing me out I don't know how you handled it haha Your plans looks great though! I am curious to hear how Fultons Crab House is :) My dad has been dying to eat there and we may go on our next family trip :) I really want to try and drink around the world next trip it always looks fun!
 

gilm0114

Member
I was in Disney last year for Marathon Weekend. I wouldn't be too worried about the crowds. Especially in the mornings at the parks, we were walking around wondering where all the other guests were. I don't think we ever waited more than 30 minutes for an attraction, since we got fast passes for the ones with longer lines.

1 thing to note, that Disney did not tell us during our stay (We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter) was that we could hear the fireworks shooting off at the beginning of the races each morning. Just something to be aware about.

Also, my girlfriend and I will be headed to Disney about the same time you are! Thanks for sharing your planning process! :)
 

StarfishAndStingrays

Member
Original Poster
Ah all the drama with the booking was stressing me out I don't know how you handled it haha Your plans looks great though! I am curious to hear how Fultons Crab House is :) My dad has been dying to eat there and we may go on our next family trip :) I really want to try and drink around the world next trip it always looks fun!
We did Fulton's back in 2000 when I went as a kid and I have found memories...we decided to make reservations again just for the nostalgia, but I'm hoping they are still great. I remember my Dad telling me the oyster crackers that came with my Mom's soup were really made out of oysters and then having him try to force feed them to me and me almost in tears as I shook my head saying "Dad, no, please, no I don't want to eat oysters". Later on I'd find out they were just Saltines.

I'm a little worried I won't make it very far with our Drink Around the World Challenge...I'm a pretty big lightweight when it comes to drinking. I may have to share the drinks with both Giovanni and my father if I want to make it through all the countries, haha. Wish me luck...! ;D
 

StarfishAndStingrays

Member
Original Poster
I was in Disney last year for Marathon Weekend. I wouldn't be too worried about the crowds. Especially in the mornings at the parks, we were walking around wondering where all the other guests were. I don't think we ever waited more than 30 minutes for an attraction, since we got fast passes for the ones with longer lines.

1 thing to note, that Disney did not tell us during our stay (We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter) was that we could hear the fireworks shooting off at the beginning of the races each morning. Just something to be aware about.

Also, my girlfriend and I will be headed to Disney about the same time you are! Thanks for sharing your planning process! :)

Phew, that makes me definitely feel A LOT better! Since we don't have a lot of time at Disney I was worried about spending our precious time waiting in lines, but it looks like that probably won't be the case...thank goodness! Seriously, you just made my day!

Oh goodness, that IS good to know...although, I do feel we may be up pretty early with the fireworks shooting off at the start of each race...unless the shoot off at 4am. I'm not sure what time it starts? We plan to be up no later than 6am each morning...I'll probably be up and getting ready sometime around 5am though...my internal clock just has to be up at the crack of dawn, I can't help it, hehe!

Oh wow, how cool! I wonder if we'll ever happen to run into each other at any point...I know it's a big place, but hey, you never know! :D
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
We did Fulton's back in 2000 when I went as a kid and I have found memories...we decided to make reservations again just for the nostalgia, but I'm hoping they are still great. I remember my Dad telling me the oyster crackers that came with my Mom's soup were really made out of oysters and then having him try to force feed them to me and me almost in tears as I shook my head saying "Dad, no, please, no I don't want to eat oysters". Later on I'd find out they were just Saltines.

I'm a little worried I won't make it very far with our Drink Around the World Challenge...I'm a pretty big lightweight when it comes to drinking. I may have to share the drinks with both Giovanni and my father if I want to make it through all the countries, haha. Wish me luck...! ;D

Best of luck to you just take your time and eat some snacks haha. Thats so funny about the oyster crackers its definitely something my Dad would do to me too as a kid so I can sympathize :) I totally forgot to mention that I too was there for marathon weekend a few years ago and I didn't notice that big of a difference in crowds except for in the hotel food court. I know its not the same but I was just there for the Princess Half Marathon and the crowds weren't bad for that either ! (well...aside from the actual race part that was crowded :D )
 

StarfishAndStingrays

Member
Original Poster
Hey guys, I know it's been awhile since you've heard from me but I just wanted to give you a quick update about our change of plans for our schedule. I realized that park hopping every single day might not actually be the best use of our time and I also added in some different ADR's to show you guys. So without further ado...

Day 1| Friday, January 8 2016
Arrive at MCO at 3:33pm
Take Magical Express to POR and pray we arrive by 5:45pm
Head to Epcot and hope to Arrive no later than 6:45pm
FP+ for Soarin'
FP+ for Spaceship Earth
{Quick Service meal somewhere-any suggestions?!}
Grab an adult beverage and settle in to watch Illuminations

Day 2| Saturday, January 9 2016
Quick breakfast and head to MK by 7:30am
Head straight to Fantasyland (Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan's Flight, Dumbo Ride, It's A Small World, Meet Gaston, Fairytale Hall to meet some Princesses-time permitting)
Stop in Adventureland to do Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise
Quick Service Lunch (any good suggestions?!)
FP+ for Space Mountain
FP+ for Buzz's Space Ranger Spin
Head to POR by 3pm and go straight from POR to DTD by boat
The BOATHOUSE reservations for Andrew's 21st Birthday at 5:30pm
After dinner walk to Saratoga Springs Resort (weather permitting) and take bus back to MK no later than 7:45pm
FP+ for Anna + Elsa
Grab FP+ for Ariel
Find a nice spot to watch Wishes Fireworks

Day 3| Sunday, January 10 2016
Quick breakfast and head to AK by 7:30am
Head straight to Kilimanjaro Safari
FP+ for Expedition Everest
Walk around, see animals, do rides/shows (Primeval Whirl, It's Tough To Be A Bug, DINOSAUR, Nemo, Lion King)
Quick Service lunch in Africa at Harambe Market (most likely)
And OF COURSE, have a Dole Whip for a snack :p
Leave AK for MK between 4 and 4:30pm
FP+ for Thunder Mountain
Haunted Mansion and a few other various rides, time permitting other rides
Quick Service dinner (suggestions?!)
FP+ for Enchanted Tales with Belle (possibly) -may trade out
Take a ride on the Carrousel and maybe grabbing a sweet treat before heading back to POR

Day 4| Monday, January 11 2016
Breakfast (complete with Mickey Waffles!) and head to Epcot by 8am
Head straight to Test Track
The Sum of All Thrills
FP+ for Mission: Space Orange
The Seas w/ Nemo
Turtle Talk w/ Crush
Drink Around the World at Epcot Challenge & Lunch (Rose & Crown most likely, but open to suggestions!)
FP+ for a character spot during World Showcase (or suggestions?!)
Dinner at Tutto Italia at 6pm
FP+ for Test Track

Day 5| Tuesday, January 12 2016
Breakfast (complete with Mickey Waffles) and head to DHS by 8am
Head to Tower of Terror first thing
FP+ Toy Story Mania
Wander around and see shows, do other rides, etc.
Lunch at Mama Melrose at 12:50pm for Fantastmic! VIP Package
FP+ Great Movie Ride (or other suggestions?)
More shows and rides, meet Sully and Mike, other character meet and greets
FP+ TOT
Quick Service dinner at Pizza Planet
Head to VIP Fantastmic! seating at 6:15pm
Fall in LOVE with Fantastmic! and be super super happy
Back to POR to (sadly) pack luggage

Day 6| Wednesday, January 13 2016
Breakfast (complete with Mickey Waffles!) and drop off luggage at Airport desk
Head to whatever park we feel we need more time in -suggestions?! What do you guys think?
Head back to POR for ME to pick us up and take us to MCO NO LATER than 5pm (must arrive at POR by 5:45pm)
 

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