First Time Planning the Magic - PTR - Updated 17/05 - ADRs Done and Some Other Disney Magic!

[MeganAndOwen]

Hi Everyone!

I'm in the midst of planning a September 2016 for myself and my boyfriend. We're so close now to flights for our dates being available that I thought I'd start my pre-trip report that will hopefully help me entertain myself and kill some time over the looooong months of waiting to come!

I've been to Florida four times with my family when I was younger, but this is my first time planning a trip myself and the last time I was there was 2010 so lots will have changed by the time we go. My boyfriend, Owen, has been with me to DLP but never to Orlando and as many videos and pictures as I show him, I don't think he's prepared for the size and scale of everything or how much fun it's going to be!

Like many of you I'm not so much a 'go with the flow person' - planning and organising are fun for me and especially since so much has changed now with regards to the fastpass system I plan on being super organised so that we get the most out of our trip. Owen is happy to chip in with his thoughts on restaurants etc, but mostly is leaving the planning up to me as I'm more familiar with everything than he is.

So, we go 3rd September-17th September 2016. I know it's a little strange to have our dates set before we book flights, but it fits in with our work commitments and we got a great deal on a villa offsite.

Just counting down now until flights come up! I'm thinking Virgin if the prices are decent enough. We will be flying from Manchester. Has anyone flown that route with Virgin in September before - if so do you have any idea of the type of prices to expect? Happy to hear suggestions of other airlines as well, we'd be happy to stop off but don't want to get into Orlando too late as Owen has never driven in America before so don't want to be setting off in the dark if at all possible.

After flights are booked next on the 'to buy' list will be park tickets. We'll be doing WDW and Universal but not Seaworld or Bush Gardens this time around. Hoping to try and fit in Kennedy Space Center as well, though I know that won't leave us with many rest days!

Things we'd like to do that I'd appreciate some opinions on:

*A character breakfast - I'm thinking Tusker House but open to recommendations.
*Be Our Guest - I can't decide between lunch and dinner!
*CRT - Was initially thinking breakfast but I think dinner might be a little better value for money as we will be paying out of pocket for all of our meals. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
*If the dates are similar for MNSSHP next year then we might do one. I've heard it's worth it even if you're adults with no kids, what are everyone's thoughts on that?
*Drink and snack around the world in Epcot. What are everyone's fave drinks/snacks at the world showcase?

That's our plans so far. I hope the time passes by quickly!

P.S - I'm relatively new to the boards so if I'm doing anything wrong with this pre-trip report business someone kindly let me know! Ta ​

 

[BudgieMama]

Sounds great! Happy planning!

 

[MeganAndOwen]

Sounds great! Happy planning!

Thanks! I've been following along with your pre-trip report as well, exciting!

 

[xxpeplyxx]

Sounds fab i shall follow, I was using browsin the net And found that viewing menus and pictures of some of the foods helped us decided on where we want to eat next may.

Id love to here about people's favourite snacks around world showcase to as we plan to snack around the world

 

[LiquidSunshine]

Sounds like a great! Following along.

 

[MeganAndOwen]

Sounds fab i shall follow, I was using browsin the net And found that viewing menus and pictures of some of the foods helped us decided on where we want to eat next may.

I'd love to hear about people's favorite snacks around world showcase to as we plan to snack around the world

I really want to hear about snack options as well! Snacking around the world is something I'm really looking forward to.

Sounds like a great! Following along.

Thank you!

 

[MeganAndOwen]

So, we changed all of our plans! And I’m very excited!


The only thing that has remained is the dates - 3rd September-17th September 2016.


If you look just above, you will see our original plan involved staying off site in a villa and arranging everything ourselves, DIY style. Well, after spending far too much time looking at everybody’s trip reports on the DIS Boards, I was really starting to feel I wanted that experience of staying in the Disney bubble. I was also adding everything up again now that flights had come up 11 months out from our trip and it just didn’t look like we were actually going to save much by staying offsite, and the convenience of being onsite just won out over any price difference.


With those things in mind we decided to abandon our offsite plans and book......

2 weeks at Coronado Springs Resort instead, yay! We got the QS Dining Plan free, but upgraded it to the regular plan so we can have TS meals. We also got 14 day tickets for the price of 7, free memory maker and $100 Disney Spending. Overall I’m really happy with our package and the lovely lady, Sarah, who talked us through our booking in the Virgin Holidays shop in the Trafford Centre was really great - she even matched the price I’d seen online a couple of days earlier as it had gone up since we had previously looked.

Now that we have the DDP to utilise I’ve been reading up like crazy on Disney restaurants and trying to figure out where we would like to eat. It’s not so much about getting the best value out of the plan for us, more trying out dining experiences that we think we’d enjoy, so we do think we will try a few signatures. This will also free us up to eat at Universal on the days we are there as we won’t feel we’re spending money on food instead of using credits.

I am so, so excited that we will be staying onsite and really happy with the way things have worked out! Now it’s just save, save, save to pay it all off!

I’ve got a couple of new questions for anyone who might like to chip in with their thoughts:

If you've stayed at CSR, what was your experience like?
What dining experiences do you recommend - signature, regular TS and QS?

Very excited - just the looooooong wait ahead now! Next steps are to look through menus etc to decide where we might like to eat, and draw up a rough plan based on this year’s park hours.

Only 318 days to go!​

 

[BudgieMama]

Eeek! How exciting! I don't think you'll regret changing!

We stayed onsite on our first trip, and DH (who doesn't like spending extra money on anything) said we couldn't stay offsite ever, it was so good being onsite!

We're going to CSR as well, but it'll be our first time at that resort. There's a really nice Facebook group about CSR, if you're into that kind of thing. A great place to ask questions, and people post lovely photos of the resort all the time, so it's nice to see them too!

We were on DDP last year (opted to stick with QSDP this year, as we think DDP over two weeks would be too much food for us). We're not big over-eaters, and we found we struggled to keep up with the portion sizes last year. I hate wasting food, so it was quite difficult for me.

Over the course of two weeks, I'd make sure to have a couple of signature meals, so that I wasn't having a TS meal every day. It frees up your flexibility for that day, and gives you a break from all the food!

If you want to meet characters, the character meals are a good choice. No lines as they come while you are eating. We loved Tusker House lunch- it was probably the best food all week. We also enjoyed Akershus as well. We did Crystal Palace with a pre-park breakfast, and whilst being in the almost empty park was hugely magical and definitely an experience I'd recommend, we weren't too excited about the food! I didn't like feel so full first thing in the day either.

If you've not got a copy of the Unofficial Guide, it's worth a consult for restaurant ratings, etc.

 

[joolz1910]

We had the same attitude to the dining plan - I wanted the experiences more than value for money. So here's my input:

Counter Service: Be Our Guest for lunch, Wolfgang Puck Express for dinner, Columbia Harbour House for either.
Table Service:
Breakfast at Crystal Palace for the pictures of an empty park.
Chef Mickey for napkin twirling
'Ohana dinner for a cocktail and watching the water pageant.
Akershus lunch or dinner for the princess (much better than CRT imo)
Raglan Road for dinner and Irish dancing.
Hoop de Doo Revue dinner for a cheesy American show (2 credits)

 

[MeganAndOwen]

We had the same attitude to the dining plan - I wanted the experiences more than value for money. So here's my input:

Counter Service: Be Our Guest for lunch, Wolfgang Puck Express for dinner, Columbia Harbour House for either.
Table Service:
Breakfast at Crystal Palace for the pictures of an empty park.
Chef Mickey for napkin twirling
'Ohana dinner for a cocktail and watching the water pageant.
Akershus lunch or dinner for the princess (much better than CRT imo)
Raglan Road for dinner and Irish dancing.
Hoop de Doo Revue dinner for a cheesy American show (2 credits)

Thanks for your thoughts! Yes, I don't want to spend all of my planning time wondering if we're getting the absolute 'best value' out of the dining plan. I do understand why that is important for many people though, but this time around I'm lucky enough to not be so concerned with it.

With regards to Chef Mickey's, is there one particular meal you think is best? I hadn't thought much about Raglan road but I keep seeing great reviews of it so might have to add it in! Thanks for your other suggestions too

 

[MeganAndOwen]

Eeek! How exciting! I don't think you'll regret changing!

We stayed onsite on our first trip, and DH (who doesn't like spending extra money on anything) said we couldn't stay offsite ever, it was so good being onsite!

We're going to CSR as well, but it'll be our first time at that resort. There's a really nice Facebook group about CSR, if you're into that kind of thing. A great place to ask questions, and people post lovely photos of the resort all the time, so it's nice to see them too!

We were on DDP last year (opted to stick with QSDP this year, as we think DDP over two weeks would be too much food for us). We're not big over-eaters, and we found we struggled to keep up with the portion sizes last year. I hate wasting food, so it was quite difficult for me.

Over the course of two weeks, I'd make sure to have a couple of signature meals, so that I wasn't having a TS meal every day. It frees up your flexibility for that day, and gives you a break from all the food!

If you want to meet characters, the character meals are a good choice. No lines as they come while you are eating. We loved Tusker House lunch- it was probably the best food all week. We also enjoyed Akershus as well. We did Crystal Palace with a pre-park breakfast, and whilst being in the almost empty park was hugely magical and definitely an experience I'd recommend, we weren't too excited about the food! I didn't like feel so full first thing in the day either.

If you've not got a copy of the Unofficial Guide, it's worth a consult for restaurant ratings, etc.

Thanks for your thoughts!

We are both pretty big eaters but I am slightly worried that even so we will have some snacks or QS credits left over. We will just see how we get on I guess.

I've heard a lot of good things about Tusker House so definitely putting that one on the list.

I bought the Unofficial Guide for 2015 earlier this year, but it's on kindle and now the 2016 one is out I might just have to get that one too, but a paperback version so I can leaf through it more easily!

Hope your planning is going well!

 

[bex7583]

great change of plans !! i love the dining plan , it may not be but it just makes the whole thing seem cheaper , i know if we hadnt had it i would have been looking at menu prices and trying to get people to choose a cheaper option

 

[joolz1910]

Thanks for your thoughts! Yes, I don't want to spend all of my planning time wondering if we're getting the absolute 'best value' out of the dining plan. I do understand why that is important for many people though, but this time around I'm lucky enough to not be so concerned with it.

With regards to Chef Mickey's, is there one particular meal you think is best? I hadn't thought much about Raglan road but I keep seeing great reviews of it so might have to add it in! Thanks for your other suggestions too

With hindsight, we would go for brunch as you get the best of both worlds then at Chef Mickey's! Have a look at the menu as it is a mixture of breakfast and lunch offerings. Raglan Road was my favourite meal of our trip. The food was delicious, varied and plentiful. The desserts were lovely but I couldn't finish mine as it was so big! The Irish dancing was fabulous and I would put that place at the top of my list for my next trip.

 

[MeganAndOwen]

great change of plans !! i love the dining plan , it may not be but it just makes the whole thing seem cheaper , i know if we hadnt had it i would have been looking at menu prices and trying to get people to choose a cheaper option

Yeah I think we would have been the same. As we were originally going to be staying offsite I doubt we would have actually ended up trying many of the TS options at Disney. This makes it a lot easier to do that!

With hindsight, we would go for brunch as you get the best of both worlds then at Chef Mickey's! Have a look at the menu as it is a mixture of breakfast and lunch offerings. Raglan Road was my favourite meal of our trip. The food was delicious, varied and plentiful. The desserts were lovely but I couldn't finish mine as it was so big! The Irish dancing was fabulous and I would put that place at the top of my list for my next trip.

Raglan Road has gone on the 'definite' list. I am yet to see a bad review of it!

 

[MeganAndOwen]

We're finally under the 300 day mark!
It still seems like a lifetime away but I'm thinking that once we actually get into 2016 time will fly in.

To celebrate I've recently bought some Disney goodies.

First, we decided to finally start our Disney Blu-Ray collection as pretty much every store is doing Disney on buy one get one free at the moment. We started with our favourites. Mines are Snow White and Beauty and the Beast, Owen's (DBF) are Aladdin and The Lion King.

I also got these wonderful Christmas tree decorations. I just love this Sketchbook Collection!

My next task is to sit down with Owen and start looking at menus. We don't make our ADRs until March but I want to have plenty time to change our minds on what we want between now and then haha!

Megan x​

 

[BudgieMama]

Love the decorations: I bought the Wall-E and Eve one this year for my husband (as a surprise) as he's always joked they are us. They have such lovely Christmas decorations: I just wish they weren't so expensive!!

 

[MeganAndOwen]

Love the decorations: I bought the Wall-E and Eve one this year for my husband (as a surprise) as he's always joked they are us. They have such lovely Christmas decorations: I just wish they weren't so expensive!!

Aw that is vey cute! I'm sure he will love it. I wish they weren't so expensive too! Though to be fair, if they were cheaper I'd end up with a tree that was solely Disney decorations haha!

 

[BudgieMama]

Me too! I bought a Mr and Mrs Potato Head decoration at WDW last year, but as they're not in Christmas gear, it lives in the lounge the rest of the year and goes on the tree at Christmas. Dual purpose!

 

[joolz1910]

I just bought the Tink tree topper with fibre-optic wings I have wanted one for ages.

 

[MeganAndOwen]

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

I've got a bit of an update for you. Well, a big update really.

It certainly didn't start out as such a happy year for us and due to a complication at work I returned in January to find I could no longer take the second week of our planned trip off in September! It's a long and complicated story but essentially our plans have changed entirely...AGAIN! It's actually worked out better for us overall though, so I'm not coming away from the situation too sad.

As September was now ruled out the next time we could go that would fit in with both of our work commitments is 5th-19th November so those were the date we were working with. Speaking to the agent we'd booked with and comparing prices with Disney, even losing the deposit, it was still going to work out cheaper for us to book with Disney directly for these new dates so we cancelled with the agent.

Sadly we no longer get free dining, so my next step was to add up whether I thought we'd spend more OOP than we would on the dining plan. My conclusion is that we'd spend more on the dining plan if we wanted the option of table service meals, which we do, so we have decided to pay for food OOP.

That decision made, it was time to book our new package. As November seems to be a cheaper time of year than September, and because Disney are currently running the deal where you can get some nights free, it actually transpired that we could stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge for the same price as we were initially going to be paying for our Coronado Springs package. Our choice was do we save ourselves some money on what we had initially planned to spend, or do we go for AKL? AKL has been a dream resort of mines ever since we went there once for a meal as a child on my first family trip to WDW, and Owen loved the look of the theming, so we decided to book there. Owen is under the impression we have a standard view room but I decided to secretly upgrade to a savannah view room which I'll pay the difference on and then surprise him with when we get there! I'm incredibly excited!

Coronado was going to be awesome, but reading the reviews for both I think AKL will be great as well and so I'm really looking forward to it.

Another plus is that we now have longer to save so we will have more to spend on the all important souvenirs! And as you can notice from my posts above, I love me some Christmas decorations so I'm really looking forward to hopefully seeing some decorations and perhaps attending the Christmas party at MK. I'm not as big a fan of Halloween so I'm happy for this change!

So that's been my 2016 so far!
Hope you are all well.

Megan x



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