Pre-Trip We've Fall-in In Love...

We're heading back to Walt Disney World in 99 days ya'll!

I cannot wait to come home.

If you've read my other trip reports, you might know me as the fountain-obsessed, value resort-hugger, and Be Our Guest-regular. Well...just letting you know that none of that has changed. In fact, it's probably intensified. So with that in mind, let us go onwards.

The Cast
The husband "J" and I. Newlyweds for almost one year! Here is a picture of us below:

Juuust kidding. But Disney really is one of the reasons why we love each other.

Rounding out our party are these babes.

The Plan
September 3rd - September 11th, 2016. 9 days of Disney fun and sun, and for the first time in forever, some water! Yup, we are heading back to the water parks for the first time since 2011.

Along the way, we'll be incorporating a non-park day, a visit to the new Disney Springs, and a bunch of new dining experiences (Free Dining + bounceback offer, you just get me every time).

The resort of choice this year? All Star Music. Cheap, convenient, has fountain.

When I tell people that I go on a Disney forum site to chat about favorite Disney smells or queues, they look at me weirdly and just shake their head. My brother captured the essence quite nicely when he called it my 'Disney Support Group'. So thank you, my fellow Disney friends, for giving me an outlet to express the love and joy I have for this magical place called Walt Disney World. I hope you'll follow along on our adventure. Thanks for reading!

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

So, we're traveling during Labor Day Weekend, which is our first adult-lifetime encounter with holiday crowds, though I am hopeful it won't be anything unmanageable. I'll take any extra days at Disney that I can get, with minimal impact on my days, so we're starting off unconventional (for us at least).

Day 1: A non-park day! We always talked about doing this, but always end up getting drawn back to the parks. We'll kick off the party at Animal Kingdom Lodge for some Sanaa, stop by The Mara for some Zebra Domes afterwards, and then all the bucketlist fun afterwards! We are thinking about heading towards MK resort area and renting a SeaRaycer (anyone ever done it?), or going on a monorail adventure and cruising over EPCOT. Of course, we may end up just resort hopping, but that's the beauty of a non-park day. We'll do dinner at California Grill which we chose for the views, location, and the stellar reviews. Rounding out the night, we'll definitely catch Wishes from the observation deck. An eventful first day!

Day 2: Hollywood Studios. We could never skip any of the four parks, and this year is no exception. We'll be there for the Tower of Terror and the Toy Story Mania. And J wants to make a return appearance at Sci-Fi and I will not say no to that! For someone who needs Star Wars for Dummies, I am stoked for Star Wars fireworks, mainly because fireworks at HS are a welcomed-addition and the Frozen Summer Fun one was my life.

Day 3: Animal Kingdom. With so much happening, we'll have one mega-day to experience all the new offerings. With the Rivers of Light delay/Jungle Book-indefiniteness, I'm wondering if the switch will happen around this time, which may or may not throw a wrench into the plans, but I will adjust as best as I can. Regardless of what happens, I cannot wait to see the Tree of Life Awakening, and embark on a Night Safari (or two!). It's gonna be quite a party at AK! For the time being, we're keeping our reservation at Yak & Yeti.

Day 4: EPCOT. Truth be told, I thought the Soarin' refurb would take place over the entire year, so when I found out we'd be Soarin' Around the World, I was ecstatic. I will definitely get the nostalgic feels for the old version, but gotta hand it to Disney for giving us something new to experience. I expect Frozen Ever After to be quite beautiful, but I shudder at the wait times. FP strategy is going to be tough this year. For some reason, we decided that we should dine exclusively in Italy this year and knock two more off our list: Via Napoli for lunch, Tutto Italia for dinner. I'm salivating at the thought now...

Day 5: Magic Kingdom. Our quintessential MK day...Be Our Guest breakfast, Be Our Guest lunch, Be Our Guest dinner, evening EMH, and a whole lotta rides, shopping, and bench-hopping fun. Oh, I cannot wait. New to MK this year will be the Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire. We're not avid fanatics of stage shows, but finally, the awesome music of Princess and the Frog gets some love, and throw in some Rapunzel and I'm there.

Day 6: WATER PARKS!!! First we'll go to Blizzard Beach, where you'll find me on the Toboggan Racers all day.
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So morning will be spent at Blizzard Beach, and the afternoon at Typhoon Lagoon. I will most definitely need that wave pool and water rollercoaster action. From there, we'll head to Disney Springs to check out both the new and old. (We usually hit up Downtown Disney every other year, and last year was an off-year). J is obsessed with ramen, and wants to go to Morimoto Asia like no other. I want to try a little bit of everything at all the new places...so we'll see if that will be physically possible. It's going to be an exhausting one-heck-of-a-day!

Day 7: Back to MK for some Liberty Tree Tavern lunch. Yes...we are literally going just so we can have some Ooey Gooey. Skipper Canteen is what's for dinner and I'm most excited about looking at all the details of the restaurant moreso than the food.

Day 8: Second day at EPCOT and boy, we will need it! I'm hoping to take a park break in the afternoon and go home to Yacht & Beach Club. Also want to stop by Boardwalk for Ample Hills Ice Cream (have you seen those cookie cones?!) Dinner at La Hacienda, leaving Nine Dragons and Monsieur Paul as the only two World Showcase restaurants we haven't tried, and probably won't. So when people ask me why Disney doesn't get boring, a huge part of it really is the food! Such foolish mortals.

Day 9: Our last day in the World, and we will make the most of it at none other than MK. This probably means lots of rides of the Blue Ride, and of course, Be Our Guest breakfast and lunch. Just the way we like it, and we wouldn't have it any other way!

So those are the plans! No frills, just us and the place that makes us happy. Thanks for reading! I'll be back with everyone's favorite...FOOD!

We'll be going to Blizzard Beach for the first time at the end of June. That picture of Toboggan Racers does look ominous though. Think my 5 year old will be able to handle it? She loves the regular double dip slides at other amusement parks.

 

[belledream]

We'll be going to Blizzard Beach for the first time at the end of June. That picture of Toboggan Racers does look ominous though. Think my 5 year old will be able to handle it? She loves the regular double dip slides at other amusement parks.

There's no height limit, so that's a good sign. I think if she enjoys the sensation and the thrill, she would be fine. I suggest looking up Youtube videos to get a better sense of the ride. Have fun!!

 

[belledream]

Who's hungry? Well, when I started typing this up, it was about an hour ago...and now it's almost lunchtime, so hopefully it won't be too torturous.

The process consists of several sit down sessions of combing through all the restaurants on the WDW site, looking at menus of those that pique our interest, and looking for the food pics all over the internet. Then the sad process of elimination because there are not enough hours in the day or room in our stomachs to try everything we want. That's why there's always the next trip!

So to the food we go!

Sanaa: taking food and atmosphere to another level! J wants the Tandoori Chicken...he will most definitely be sharing.

I'm deciding between the Peri Peri Chicken Sandwich and the Kenya Coffee Barbeque Sandwich.

California Grill: our signature pick of the trip and we have high expectations for it. I know the menu is prone to changing often, especially at places like these, but we know we can always expect something good. J is set on the Wagyu Beef Strip Loin. Should I go for the Oak-fired Filet of Beef? It seems to be the most popular pick and that risotto looks really good...

Or should I step outside the box and get me some Bison Strip Loin? Not sure if I've ever had bison and I like trying new things. Choices!

Sci-Fi Dine-In: J is sad there is no more All American Picnic Burger, but he will settle for the Flame-broiled New York Strip Steak...I think he will live. I think I'll make tonight a rib night and get House-smoked St. Louis-style Pork Ribs. It'll be so dark, no one will be able to see the epic mess I make. Desserts intrigue me more here.

House-made Sci-Fi Candy Bar, come to me.

Via Napoli: So many choices, but we have decided to split the Prosciutto e Melone Pizza. Weird combo but I've read so many rave reviews that it seems normal now.

Tutto Italia: Very typical of us. He wants steak, I want lamb. I looked up Cremagliera d'Agnello to see if I could find a good picture of the lamb dish, and the first pic was of a baby lamb. Now I feel bad.

Be Our Guest: B, L, and D. What can I tell you that you don't already know? Well, there's a few Feast A La Gaston and Croque Madame for breakfast...will very likely try that out...the usual Carved Prime Chuck Roast Beef Sandwich and Tuna Niçoise Salad for lunch...and while J will be getting his Grilled Strip Steak, I'm thinking about trying the Grilled Pork Chop for once.

Morimoto Asia: RAMEN PARTY! (Anyone seen that shirt in Mitsukoshi?) Anyways, J is literally drooling over the sound of the Tonkotsu Ramen and I myself am intrigued by the other options...Chashu or Duck...but I also love me some spicy foods and would like the Singapore Laksa Noodle. Either way, not too many good pictures of these on the internet, so we'll just make do with this:

Liberty Tree Tavern: Eyeing The Liberty Boys Sandwich and Angus Chuck Cheeseburger...but let's be honest.

Gimme.

Skipper Canteen: The boy wants his steak. Dr. Falls' Signature Grilled Steak, that is.

I'm thinking about getting the Sustainable Fish just because the description says "Not Piranha" and I think that's quite clever. But look how pretty this Coconut Bar with Pineapple-Basil Compote and Vanilla Cream is! Gotta have it!

La Hacienda de San Angel: This one almost didn't make the list because if I want Mexican, it's hard for me to pull myself away from San Angel Inn. But after looking through so many menus, this one stood out. J wants the Taquiza. Use the words "taco sampler" and he's there.

Similarly, I could get Tacos de Camarones...

But I'm also eyeing...

Costillas en salsa de Chile.

And there you have it! Our food picks for 2016. Subject to change of course. Please feel free to leave recommendations! Going to eat lunch now...

 

[sheriffwoody]

I'm like 30 minutes away from lunchtime, and I'm seriously sitting here drooling. All your choices sound amazing! This whole trip sounds amazing, actually.

 

[DonnaOnTheRocks]

All of your food choices sound amazing! You will love Tutto Italia, it was one of my favorites from my Feb 2015 trip. I had some kind of ravioli, it was sooo good! Trattoria al Forno on the Boardwalk was excellent as well. Happy Planning!

 

[belledream]

All of your food choices sound amazing! You will love Tutto Italia, it was one of my favorites from my Feb 2015 trip. I had some kind of ravioli, it was sooo good! Trattoria al Forno on the Boardwalk was excellent as well. Happy Planning!

Thanks for the recommendation! I'm looking forward to Tutto. The menu is fairly expansive...so many choices! We're definitely leaning towards being carnivores.

 

[joshsprincess921]

Your trip sounds awesome and I'm so glad I was eating my lunch during the that last portion. Of course, my leftovers failed in comparison! I look forward to hearing about all of the fun!

 

[belledream]

Your trip sounds awesome and I'm so glad I was eating my lunch during the that last portion. Of course, my leftovers failed in comparison! I look forward to hearing about all of the fun!

I feel ya...the struggle is real! Thanks for following!

 

[belledream]

Because I'm going to take it the extra (probably unnecessary but very delicious) mile, it is now snack preview time!

These are new to us...the good oldies like Dole Whips and Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches will surely be consumed...

I want...an Iced Coffee Float from Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies during my early Tomorrowland mornings.

In a similar vein, J is intrigued by this Ham and Cheese-Stuffed Pretzel at the nearby The Lunching Pad. Can't tell if it's gross or not, but we may give it a try.

Barbecue Pork Waffle Fries from Golden Oak Outpost...topped with coleslaw? This looks like a meal!

Basically anything at Les Halles...

That is, if we can manage anything after J gets his grubby hands on this Cookies & Cream Funnel Cake. Not sure I want to consume this, but I basically have no choice, being married to this Cookies & Cream monster.

Hoping that Sweet Spells will still have the Carrot Cake Cookie by the time we go.

Again with the Cookies & Cream, we might get the Cookies& Cream Whoopie Pie, also from Sweet Spells.

Here's a real savory snack from Trilo-Bites in AK...Buffalo Chicken Waffle Slider. Will we have enough room in our tummies to actually consume this? Only time will tell.

J is swearing that these Garlic Knots from Pizzafari will be one of the best things we have this trip.

Cake Cone from Ample Hills Creamery... <-literally my face when I saw this.

We'll definite need some Mini Donuts to power ourselves through the day at Blizzard Beach. Dipping Sauces cost extra and we will probably purchase them all...Chocolate/Raspberry/White Chocolate.

I'd really like to give this Salmon Crepe from Aristocrepes a try...but as we will only be at Disney Springs in the evening for dinner, I'm not sure that will be feasible.

Snacks are harder to plan for than meals. Our eyes are bigger than our stomachs (for the most part) and wanting "this or that" is could change very easily. But I think it's important to research so that we know we're getting the most bang for our buck, using snack credits wisely, and not missing out on something that we will then be aching for over the next year.

We welcome your input, suggestions, and/or good vibes as we embark on our quest to eat everything!

 

[sheriffwoody]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like Golden Oak Outpost has changed their menu and the specialty waffle fries are gone. I found that out the hard way after standing in line for 10 minutes... I MAY have teared up a little Luckily you have a lot of other good stuff on your list, so you will probably be fine

 

[belledream]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like Golden Oak Outpost has changed their menu and the specialty waffle fries are gone. I found that out the hard way after standing in line for 10 minutes... I MAY have teared up a little Luckily you have a lot of other good stuff on your list, so you will probably be fine

Whomppp!!

But thank you very much for bringing that to my attention. Sorry for your loss.

In all honesty, it's probably better not to eat it anyways... There are plenty of over-the-top treats at MK still...

 

[sheriffwoody]

Whomppp!!

But thank you very much for bringing that to my attention. Sorry for your loss.

In all honesty, it's probably better not to eat it anyways... There are plenty of over-the-top treats at MK still...

hahahaha it really felt like a personal loss! We actually really enjoyed the BLT ones. I never tried the barbecue ones, but I did get the hot dog at Casey's with barbecue and slaw on it. That was yummy!

 

[bee]

My face when I saw the mini donuts:

 

[belledream]

hahahaha it really felt like a personal loss! We actually really enjoyed the BLT ones. I never tried the barbecue ones, but I did get the hot dog at Casey's with barbecue and slaw on it. That was yummy!

It sounds good...I love coleslaw but tend to think it should be it's own entity, but people are insisting it's a combo thing so I'm really curious.

I'm hot-dogged out...too many BBQs this summer already! But there is something so nostalgic about nomming on a hotdog outside of Casey's!

My face when I saw the mini donuts:

Right?! They're listed at a dozen or 1/2 dozen. Mind tells me 1/2 dozen. Heart tells me whole.

 

[WDWDarling]

So many snacks, so little time . Loving all your food posts!

 

[belledream]

So many snacks, so little time . Loving all your food posts!

I know! This really hasn't scratched the surface though...18 credits to use and no Food & Wine this time. Oh the dilemma!

Thanks for reading!

 

[joshsprincess921]

That Oreo funnel cake!
It would probably send me straight into a sugar coma!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

I've had the coffee float at Auntie Gravity's.. HOLY SWEET! I could not finish it and had to throw it away! What I did eat was tasty and refreshing though!

 

[belledream]

That Oreo funnel cake!
It would probably send me straight into a sugar coma!

Likewise...couldn't tell if the thing on top was like...ice cream...butter...tasty gelatinous fat? Haha!

I've had the coffee float at Auntie Gravity's.. HOLY SWEET! I could not finish it and had to throw it away! What I did eat was tasty and refreshing though!

I must have a huge sweet tooth because when I drink things like various iced teas, I'm like 'mmm delicious!' and everyone else in my family is diluting things. We'll definitely have to share this!

 

[Second Star to the Right]

Loving this TR. The snack pictures are also incredibly helpful. I'm doing the Dining Plan for the first time, so I'm very excited to try some of these options They look scrumptious!