Hello all. It has been a while since I have contributed either a pre-trip or post trip report, but for some reason, this year feels a bit different so I thought it might be worth while to create one.
We have been going to Disney on a regular basis since 2003. This will be my 19th trip in my lifetime and I honestly believe I could spend one week a month there and never get tired of the place. Unfortunately, this may be our last excursion to WDW until 2014 or 2015 depending on various factors in our life, so I am doing everything I can to make sure I simply take it all in and enjoy the pleasure of being at my favorite vacation destination. First, the players:
There is me, Tracy, the planner/obsessor/fanatic in this family. I just turned 40
eek but still feel like a young un.
Then there is my husband, who is ALSO named Tracy (true story, I swear). He is not quite as infatuated with WDW as I am, but I have to say that he has come a long way and he at least loves going now.
As with any Disney trip, I tend to make my initial plans and then try to extend those plans by several days. As of right now we are scheduled to arrive on property Sunday, September 16th and are scheduled to leave Saturday, September 22nd. We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge with Free Dining. We actually booked this trip as part of a bounce back offer we were given last September while staying at the Contemporary.
Once we found out that the Art of Animation would be opening on September 15th, I immediately booked a room for September 22nd through the 26th in case we decide to extend our trip. The other possibility we are looking at is a 3 day Disney cruise that leaves port on Thursday, September 13th and returns on the 16th, which would fit perfectly with what we already have finalized. We aren't sure if we are going to do either at this point due to finances, but it is still on the table. So, with that being said I am only going to discuss what we are 100% certain of, and that is 9/16 - 9/22.
Ahhhh...The Wilderness. We are so excited to be returning to the Wilderness. We stayed there in 2004 and both fell in love. If their transportation was set up just a little differently, I don't think we would ever stay at any other resort. We personally find the theme of this resort to be one of WDW's very best.
Our flight is scheduled to arrive at MCO at 9:05 am, which means we will have an entire day to spend in the parks. We do have park hoppers, which we will abuse, but we are also going to try something a little different this year. Instead of park hopping every single day, we are going to try 3 days park hopping and 3 days of spending the day in just one park. The other big decision we have made is that we will not be visiting Animal Kingdom at all this year. AK use to be my husband's favorite park, but during our trip last year we both decided that we can live without going to AK for awhile. Instead, our focus will be on the other three parks.
Sunday, 9/16 - arrive at resort, get park tickets and immediately head to Magic Kingdom. This is a tradition for us. We find it impossible to begin our trip anywhere other than MK. There are Extra Magic Hours this night, so we will be in the park with every other living soul on property, I am sure. But that's okay with us. This is one of our single park days so it gives us plenty of time to walk around, relax and enjoy. We will not be doing any sit down meals this day. Instead we will use Counter Service credits at Casey's and Columbia Harbor House.
Monday, 9/17 - We will begin the day at Epcot and end the day at Studios. We have dining reservations at Teppan Edo's, which is my husband's favorite place to eat while at WDW. Because of this, we will actually eat at Teppan Edo's twice. We often receive criticism for this since many people find Teppan Edo to be no better than their own local Hibachi restaurant. And while I understand that thought process I always respond with, "well, sure, except your local hibachi is not located inside one of the greatest spots on planet earth...Epcot." Plus, it's an easy restaurant to get in to, which the planner in me loves. After dinner we will be heading over to Hollywood Studios for extra magic hours.
Tuesday, 9/18 - This is another single park day. And we will be spending that day at Magic. But before we go to Magic, we will be having breakfast at Kona Cafe'. Tonga Toast for hubby. Pinapple Macadamia pancakes for me. And a pot of french press coffee. 'Nuff said. :lol: We will also be attending the Halloween Party this night. Another fall tradition for us. We love love love (insert 200 more loves here) this party. I know many find the parties a waste of time and money, but we aren't those people. We love it so much that we will be going twice on this trip.
Wednesday, 9/19 - We plan on sleeping in a bit this morning since we will be at the half way point for our trip. This means hanging out at the resort, maybe checking out the pool and enjoying the beautiful atmosphere of the Wilderness. Then, it's off to Epcot for the entire day. We once again will be taking advantage of extra magic hours until midnight. Epcot is so beautiful at night. I love just walking around the park after dark. We have lunch reservations at Le Chef's De France and then a late dinner reservation at Via Napoli. In between I also hope to order some chips and guacamole with a margarita at La Cantina de San Angel. We should be good and stuffed by the time we roll ourselves out of there that evening.
Thursday, 9/20 - A three park day! We will start our day at Hollywood Studios then we will head over to Epcot where, for the very first time, we will dine at the world famous Le Cellier. I am so surprised that we were able to get in here, but I did the typical 7:00 am on line ressie stampede at 180 days. This year, it actually worked and now we will be able to mark Le Cellier off our Disney bucket list. After our Le Cellier induced haze, we will make our way over to Magic for some evening fun.
Friday - 9/21 - Our last day in the parks, so we will focus on our two favorites - Epcot in the morning and then Magic in the evening for our second Halloween Party. We always try to end our September trips on a party night. This will be a big day for seconds because this also be the second time we will be dining at Teppan Edo, this time at lunch. On our last day we really try to focus on just our favorites - which means Soarin', SSE, Mansion, Pirates, Peoplemover, etc... I will also be trying to take every magical moment in while I am there since we will most likely have a few years until our next trip.
So, this is the plan....for now. If we finalize the extra days at the Art of Animation at the end of our trip, or if we add the cruise to the beginning of our trip, I will be sure to add that in to the PTR.
Thanks for reading and if you happen to be at Disney during the time we are and you see two 40 somethings running around the park looking happy as can be, don't hesitate to shout out a quick hello and a wave. :wave:
We have been going to Disney on a regular basis since 2003. This will be my 19th trip in my lifetime and I honestly believe I could spend one week a month there and never get tired of the place. Unfortunately, this may be our last excursion to WDW until 2014 or 2015 depending on various factors in our life, so I am doing everything I can to make sure I simply take it all in and enjoy the pleasure of being at my favorite vacation destination. First, the players:
There is me, Tracy, the planner/obsessor/fanatic in this family. I just turned 40
eek but still feel like a young un.Then there is my husband, who is ALSO named Tracy (true story, I swear). He is not quite as infatuated with WDW as I am, but I have to say that he has come a long way and he at least loves going now.
As with any Disney trip, I tend to make my initial plans and then try to extend those plans by several days. As of right now we are scheduled to arrive on property Sunday, September 16th and are scheduled to leave Saturday, September 22nd. We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge with Free Dining. We actually booked this trip as part of a bounce back offer we were given last September while staying at the Contemporary.
Once we found out that the Art of Animation would be opening on September 15th, I immediately booked a room for September 22nd through the 26th in case we decide to extend our trip. The other possibility we are looking at is a 3 day Disney cruise that leaves port on Thursday, September 13th and returns on the 16th, which would fit perfectly with what we already have finalized. We aren't sure if we are going to do either at this point due to finances, but it is still on the table. So, with that being said I am only going to discuss what we are 100% certain of, and that is 9/16 - 9/22.
Ahhhh...The Wilderness. We are so excited to be returning to the Wilderness. We stayed there in 2004 and both fell in love. If their transportation was set up just a little differently, I don't think we would ever stay at any other resort. We personally find the theme of this resort to be one of WDW's very best.
Our flight is scheduled to arrive at MCO at 9:05 am, which means we will have an entire day to spend in the parks. We do have park hoppers, which we will abuse, but we are also going to try something a little different this year. Instead of park hopping every single day, we are going to try 3 days park hopping and 3 days of spending the day in just one park. The other big decision we have made is that we will not be visiting Animal Kingdom at all this year. AK use to be my husband's favorite park, but during our trip last year we both decided that we can live without going to AK for awhile. Instead, our focus will be on the other three parks.
Sunday, 9/16 - arrive at resort, get park tickets and immediately head to Magic Kingdom. This is a tradition for us. We find it impossible to begin our trip anywhere other than MK. There are Extra Magic Hours this night, so we will be in the park with every other living soul on property, I am sure. But that's okay with us. This is one of our single park days so it gives us plenty of time to walk around, relax and enjoy. We will not be doing any sit down meals this day. Instead we will use Counter Service credits at Casey's and Columbia Harbor House.
Monday, 9/17 - We will begin the day at Epcot and end the day at Studios. We have dining reservations at Teppan Edo's, which is my husband's favorite place to eat while at WDW. Because of this, we will actually eat at Teppan Edo's twice. We often receive criticism for this since many people find Teppan Edo to be no better than their own local Hibachi restaurant. And while I understand that thought process I always respond with, "well, sure, except your local hibachi is not located inside one of the greatest spots on planet earth...Epcot." Plus, it's an easy restaurant to get in to, which the planner in me loves. After dinner we will be heading over to Hollywood Studios for extra magic hours.
Tuesday, 9/18 - This is another single park day. And we will be spending that day at Magic. But before we go to Magic, we will be having breakfast at Kona Cafe'. Tonga Toast for hubby. Pinapple Macadamia pancakes for me. And a pot of french press coffee. 'Nuff said. :lol: We will also be attending the Halloween Party this night. Another fall tradition for us. We love love love (insert 200 more loves here) this party. I know many find the parties a waste of time and money, but we aren't those people. We love it so much that we will be going twice on this trip.
Wednesday, 9/19 - We plan on sleeping in a bit this morning since we will be at the half way point for our trip. This means hanging out at the resort, maybe checking out the pool and enjoying the beautiful atmosphere of the Wilderness. Then, it's off to Epcot for the entire day. We once again will be taking advantage of extra magic hours until midnight. Epcot is so beautiful at night. I love just walking around the park after dark. We have lunch reservations at Le Chef's De France and then a late dinner reservation at Via Napoli. In between I also hope to order some chips and guacamole with a margarita at La Cantina de San Angel. We should be good and stuffed by the time we roll ourselves out of there that evening.
Thursday, 9/20 - A three park day! We will start our day at Hollywood Studios then we will head over to Epcot where, for the very first time, we will dine at the world famous Le Cellier. I am so surprised that we were able to get in here, but I did the typical 7:00 am on line ressie stampede at 180 days. This year, it actually worked and now we will be able to mark Le Cellier off our Disney bucket list. After our Le Cellier induced haze, we will make our way over to Magic for some evening fun.
Friday - 9/21 - Our last day in the parks, so we will focus on our two favorites - Epcot in the morning and then Magic in the evening for our second Halloween Party. We always try to end our September trips on a party night. This will be a big day for seconds because this also be the second time we will be dining at Teppan Edo, this time at lunch. On our last day we really try to focus on just our favorites - which means Soarin', SSE, Mansion, Pirates, Peoplemover, etc... I will also be trying to take every magical moment in while I am there since we will most likely have a few years until our next trip.
So, this is the plan....for now. If we finalize the extra days at the Art of Animation at the end of our trip, or if we add the cruise to the beginning of our trip, I will be sure to add that in to the PTR.
Thanks for reading and if you happen to be at Disney during the time we are and you see two 40 somethings running around the park looking happy as can be, don't hesitate to shout out a quick hello and a wave. :wave:
