It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas at WDW (A 2018 PTR)

So I have to know, is anyone else here listen to the theme park music while they work? I fly Soarin at least 4 times everyday LOL! August can't get here soon enough! You guys have it all figured out and i am over here just trying to figure out where to stay! LOL!

I don't (because I'm not allowed to listen to what I would want to listen to, haha) but I do listen to a lot of the movie soundtracks in my car! My DD and I sing along.

I've just posted my video from MVMCP 2017 - it shows bits of the shows, parade, character meet and greets, snacks and how quiet the park gets particularly after the second showing of the parade. Hope it helps with your planning. It was the highlight of my holiday!


Thanks! I love watching other people's youtube videos. I live vicariously through you all!
 
I don't (because I'm not allowed to listen to what I would want to listen to, haha) but I do listen to a lot of the movie soundtracks in my car! My DD and I sing along.



Thanks! I love watching other people's youtube videos. I live vicariously through you all!

Seriously I do too! I find the entrance music for all the parks and it gets me through my day! Today is Epcot!
 
Well our plans are changing seemingly by the day. We just booked flights!!!

:jumping1:

And they are exactly what I wanted! Sort of.

So the airport we live closest to is Philadelphia. I've been watching flights since about January. We were originally holding out for Southwest to release their flights but ultimately we decided that based on the flight prices out now for Sept/Oct, we probably wouldn't save a whole lot of money. Nothing that would make the risk worth it. Hopefully we aren't wrong there.

But what we actually booked was flights out of Washington! We have family in the area so we are crossing our fingers they will take us/pick us up from the airport or go get our car so we don't have to pay for parking for 8 nights. Either way is fine with us.

So that's the sort of part. The fact that they are NONSTOP and the flight times are EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED is the #winning part!

We flight out at 8:25 AM landing at around 10:30 in the morning! So I'm guessing we will be at AKL by around lunchtime. I'm thinking we can grab lunch at the Mara and then head over to AKL!

Our flight home is at 5:25 PM and arrives around 8:00 PM. So we can have a nice relaxing morning (I'm hoping for breakfast at O'hana!) and maybe hit up Disney Springs or just relax at the resort.

I'm so pumped!

Still trying to decide on which day to hit which parks now that MVMCP has been officially announced!
 
Following along! We'll be there almost the same dates as you (arriving 11/10, departing 11/17). We've gone that same week in 2017 and 2016. Our closest airport is also PHL (waiting on Southwest flights to decide between flying or the Amtrak Autotrain). And, we're headed down with our twin daughters -- who turn 5 in October. Looking forward to reading your updates!
 


Following along! We'll be there almost the same dates as you (arriving 11/10, departing 11/17). We've gone that same week in 2017 and 2016. Our closest airport is also PHL (waiting on Southwest flights to decide between flying or the Amtrak Autotrain). And, we're headed down with our twin daughters -- who turn 5 in October. Looking forward to reading your updates!

:welcome: We have so many things in common for our trip!

How was this week in prior years? I assume it's a good time to go if you continue to go this particular week!

Happy to have you following along!
 
It's been almost a month and in that time I think I've redone my plans 5 dozen times. A lot changed after we booked our flights (now knowing we had pretty much a full day on arrival day and most of the day on departure day too) but also with the release of MVMCP dates! It really jacked with my schedule but I think I have it all figured out now!

And in other news...

WE ARE OFFICIALLY GOING TO MVMCP!!!
:santa::santa::santa:

I just booked our tickets 5 minutes ago...

But before I tell you which day we are going, I should probably tell you our new revised plan right?

Day 1 - Arrival Day
We will be having our resort day as our very first day. I love checking out the resort when we first arrive, even though it also kills me to not go into a park. But part of the reason for staying at AKL is to see what it has to offer! Our flight lands at 10:35 AM so I'm hoping (fingers crossed!) we will be to AKL by 12:00-12:30. We will check out our room and then grab lunch at The Mara. After lunch, I have no doubt my DD will be exhausted as she still takes naps (no idea if that will be the case in 6 months but she doesn't show any signs of stopping as of yet). So maybe we will take a nap. Or more likely, she will be so excited that we will just start walking around and exploring. If the weather is warm, maybe we will hit the pool. If it's not, we will watch the savannas and see what kids activities are going on that day. I have FINALLY decided to book an ADR for Boma that night for dinner. And then probably turn in early since we will have gotten up so early for our flight.

Day 2 - Epcot
We are taking advantage of one of the last two days of the F&W festival! We loved this when we were there 3 years ago and are excited to experience it again. So this day is going to be dedicated to the World Showcase. I fully intended to have a later morning and then just eat all day at F&W but since we no longer have a day off midweek, this is the best day for us to have breakfast at Trattoria al Forno. My daughter is obsessed with Rapunzel so this breakfast is a must do for us. My goal is to get an 8 AM-ish breakfast and then walk over to Epcot afterwards. Depending on what time we get a reservation for, we may try to hit up Future World and do a few rides or character meets before spending the day in WS. I'd also like to have an earlier breakfast just so that we can be ready to eat a lot around lunchtime! My goal is to get an FEA FP+ but I have no idea if I will be able to achieve that since this day is so early in our trip.

Day 3 - Animal Kingdom
No big plans for this day. Obviously going to try for the illusive FOP FP+ and do all the usual rides. No ADRs today. If we get done with AK early, maybe we will head to Disney Springs because we never made it there in 2015. (I haven't been since 2005!) .

Day 4 - Magic Kingdom
We are finally going to Magic Kingdom! I hated having this so far into the trip (I would prefer it be the first park!) but it's just how it worked out. So we will RD and be there allll day and alllll night because THIS IS THE DAY WE GO TO MVMCP! We aren't the kind of people that take midday breaks. So it's going to be a long, but fun day! I think I'm going to attempt to get a Tony's Town Square Festival of Fantasy dining package reservation. If I can't get it, no ADRs today. I'm still working out the rest of the details here.

Day 5 - Magic Kingdom
I also would prefer not to go here back to back days but again, it's how it worked out! This day I'm going to try for a PPO BBB reservation for my DD and a lunch reservation for CRT. And I'm also SERIOUSLY considering doing the HEA dessert party since I'm sure this day is going to be so packed. I never had any desire to do a dessert party since I'm not into sweets but I feel like it might be worth it for the viewing experience. I never got to see Wishes so I don't want to miss our on HEA too.

Day 6 - Epcot/Hollywood Studios
Today is a park hopping day! We are going to start at Epcot to hit up Future World and anything we missed on our Epcot day the first time around. Then I'm going to grab a Garden Grill lunch reservation before skipping over to HS. I wanted an extra HS day since TSL will be open and I need all the chances we can get to ride the new rides! I'll save my FP+ for HS and Tier 1 will be SDD. Assuming I can snag one.

Day 7 - Hollywood Studios
Again, trying for TSL FP+ for our Tier 1. I also am going to try to get a Hollywood & Vine - Minnie's Dine lunch reservation (and if I can get a Fantasmic! package, even better!)

Day 8 - Animal Kingdom
Last park day. Sad face! The only ADR plan is for Yak and Yeti. And to do everything we missed on our first day.

Day 9 - Departure Day
Super sad face. I am hoping to get a breakfast ADR at O'Hana for one last fun morning before we have to leave the World. I definitely want to explore the Poly (it's on my bucket list to stay there!) and then maybe spend some more time at AKL before we have to head to the airport.

So there we have it! And also, I apologize for the lack of photos!

ADR day is next Monday so this could all change after I book everything. :rolleyes1 But hopefully not!
 
Joining along! We check in on 11/24, so we’ll just be missing each other!

Y’all are going to love staying at AKL! It’s gorgeous!

Your plans sound great! We are wanting to try out breakfast with Rapunzel this trip as well.
 


Joining along! We check in on 11/24, so we’ll just be missing each other!

Y’all are going to love staying at AKL! It’s gorgeous!

Your plans sound great! We are wanting to try out breakfast with Rapunzel this trip as well.
:welcome: Too bad we will miss each other! Have fun on your trip!
 
(Forgive the lack of photos. It's late and I want to go to bed! HA)
Yesterday was ADR day! :jumping1:

I set my alarm for 5:50 AM (which is WAY earlier than I normally get up) and was not happy when it actually went off. So I immediately made some coffee (that I didn't drink until I was almost done with booking everything!)

At 6:00 AM I immediately searched for Trattoria al Forno breakfast on our first morning there and.... I GOT IT! It wasn't the exact time I wanted - I was hoping for a 9:00 or so and then we could have a late start at Epcot, but alas the only time slow available was for 10:20 AM. Which basically means by the time we make it to Epcot it will be noon. And we also won't be hungry for lunch so there's that. Which is really a bummer since it's our only day for Food and Wine! So my plan is for us to just graze all day and enjoy all that food and wine has to offer. We will be really exploring World Showcase because despite spending most of our time at Epcot last trip, we didn't really dive into the depths of WS! We mostly just stood in line to meet princesses and ate (F&W.)

Next I searched for a lunch time reservation for CRT on Nov 14 as this is the day I have planned for us to do BBB and go to CRT afterwards. And again, I was successful! Actually I was extra successful as I grabbed a 12:05 lunch AND a 1:25 lunch because I wasn't sure what time I was going to be able to get BBB that morning. So if you will please excuse me, I need to go cancel one of those...

Then MDE started giving me errors and at first I was all "NOOOO!!!!" and then I realized I got the two most important already so if the website went down I could handle it. But I kept at it and it started working again! YAY!

So then I proceeded to search for Minnie's seasonal dine at Hollywood & Vine lunch, Garden Grill lunch, O'hana breakfast, Yak & Yeti dinner, and Boma dinner.

I also looked for the Festival of Fantasy dining package at Tony's Town Square and it either wasn't out yet or I was blind because I didn't see it to book it.

So then I started trying to book the HEA dessert party on Nov 14 and had no problem getting that either.

After that it was only about 6:40 AM so I had time before the phone lines opened to call and book BBB. Obviously the only thing to do was make breakfast! So I sat and ate a homemade eggs and canadian bacon sandwich. Yum.

At 7:00 AM on the dot I was dialing to reserve a spot for BBB and the hold time was 60 MINUTES. :eek: But I thought "Self, maybe other people will hear that and hang up not wanting to wait so long!" so I persevered. And sure enough, only 20 mins later I was able to book a time at BBB for Nov 14 at 10:10 AM (There were earlier times but not PPO so I went with a slightly later time so we could RD and get a ride or two in first.)

Then last night after my DD was in bed I was playing around with the dining reservations again and found the Festival of Fantasy dining package at Tony's Town Square for the exact time I wanted! I snatched it up and my booking is complete!
Happy Gif.gif
Fingers are crossed I have that much luck on FP+ day! What about you? What did you book? What are you looking for?

Days left until FP+: 119
Days left until WDW: 179
 
So exciting! We will be there the same dates! Did our ADR's on Monday as well and I was pleasantly surprised that we got everything we wanted, at the times we hoped for. We also fly out of Philly and sometimes AC.
 
It’s such a great feeling when you can snag all of the reservations you want! Yay!

I have clients going the same week, so I was up early and was SO happy I was able to get them a Trattoria al Forno breakfast, too! Those seem to be going like hot cakes!
 
Congrats on getting all the ADR's you wanted

Thank you! It always feels a little like relief. Haha

So exciting! We will be there the same dates! Did our ADR's on Monday as well and I was pleasantly surprised that we got everything we wanted, at the times we hoped for. We also fly out of Philly and sometimes AC.
Yay! Sounds like it was a good day all around! I wish we were flying out of Philly. We actually bought tickets in and out of DC so we will drive down to Baltimore and stay with family the night before. Which will be fun but on the trip home I know I'd rather just be home!

It’s such a great feeling when you can snag all of the reservations you want! Yay!

I have clients going the same week, so I was up early and was SO happy I was able to get them a Trattoria al Forno breakfast, too! Those seem to be going like hot cakes!
They seem to be very popular! I guess because it's new and Rapunzel is popular?
 
Your plans sound great! Your trip will be here before you know it!

I always chuckle when I read about how many husbands put up with their wives Disney obsessions! ((Mine included)) You gotta love them!
 
So now I'm thinking about something crazy. Okay, it's not so crazy to us here at The Dis, but it is for non-Disney folks!

I am considering upgrading DD's and my park tickets to APs when we get there in Nov and taking another trip down in June 2019!

I don't want to outright buy APs because June is still a bit up in the air. I should know more by Nov.

DH might be going on a week long trip for a conference so I thought "Why not take a mother-daughter trip too?" DD will be just shy of 6 years old and I think we could have a great time.

If my DH does not go on this trip, I'm not sure we will go as I'd rather take a family trip somewhere and couldn't talk him into WDW again so soon.

So what do you think? Mother-Daughter trip sound like a good idea? What things should we do that are good for a 6 year old but maybe aren't as well known? I think I'd like to do a more relaxed trip, with midday breaks - something we havent done before. And since it's June, go to the waterparks!

We are doing so much this trip that I would like to do something different and more relaxing in June.
 
Mother-Daughter trips are so much fun! My mom and I have taken 3, and they have been some of my favorites trips! Definitely keep an eye out for princesses and other characters in Epcot on the WS. Sometimes you can find them with rather short lines! As far as the water parks go, if your DD is new to water slides and things, Typhoon Lagoon is a great one to ease her in, but both TL and BB are fantastic!
 
Following!!

I did consider the HEA Dessert party, however things were getting to be a bit too much money. I say if you can do, then it looks like a great time!
 
It's been a while since I updated, but I finally have something to update about! Tuesday of last week was Fast Pass day. I'm sure a lot of you heard about the MAJOR glitch that started on TUESDAY. It was a rough couple of days for me. Mostly I'm just frustrated because so many of us spend so much time planning everything and then everything can go awry, out of your control. My husband builds software. I know these things can happen. You just don't think about it happening here. But I digress.

Long story short, my DH's ticket and my ticket were gone. Taylor's was still linked so I made FP+ for her and hoped I could add DH and I on later. When my tickets finally reappeared, 3 days later, I was able to add on everything but 7DMT and SDD. I should add, I was on the phone with Disney a few times and I WAS able to get them to give me 3 FP+ for our last day. They matched DD's FP+, which included FOP. So there's that.

I had made FP+ for 7DMT for 2 days because I know my 5 year old WILL LOVE IT. And this trip is all about her. I was unable to immediately add DH and myself on, but through constant checking, I've been able to add both of us on since. I'm still working on SDD.

So here are our FP+ as they stand right now. I'm still working on modifying things, since the glitch cost me quite a bit. (Sidenote: My strategy is to get FP+ as early as possible, so we can refresh and get more FP+ throughout the day.)

60+1 - Epcot
9:00 AM - Spaceship Earth
10:40 AM - The Seas with Nemo
1:55 PM - Frozen Ever After

60+2 - Animal Kingdom
11:20 AM - Meet Disney Favorites at Adventurers Outpost
2:00 PM Expedition Everest
3:10 PM - Na'Vi

60+3 - Magic Kingdom
9:00 AM - BTMRR
11:25 AM - Pirates of the Carribean
5:25 PM - 7 Dwarfs Mine Train

60+4 - Hollywood Studios/Magic Kingdom
7:00 - 9:00 Toy Story Land EMM
1:30 PM - Enchanted Tales with Belle
3:05 PM - Peter Pan's Flight
6:35 PM - Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

60+5 - Epcot in AM/Hollywood Studios in PM
3:40 PM - Tower of Terror
4:45 PM - Star Tours
5:55 PM - Slinky Dog Dash - Still trying to add Dh and myself to this

60+6 - Hollywood Studios
9:05 AM - Tower of Terror
11:00 AM - Frozen Sing-Along
2:45 PM - Alien Swirling Saucers

60+7 - Animal Kingdom
10:00 - Flight of Passage
11:45 AM - Dinosaur
2:45 PM - Kilimanjaro Safaris

So like I said, still modifying some things. #annoyed but we will make it work. #firstworldproblems And honestly, I have everything I wanted, even if it's not the times I wanted. At least I'm getting to go to Disney World for 9 days. I'm staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We will have a great time no matter what!
 
Plans look great so far. I love the idea of a mommy daughter trip! FP+ look great, and I totally agree- i do the book early and grab a 4th ( and 5th and 6th) FP+ after....
 
Your FPs look great! Hopefully you'll get everything all straightened out soon, but you're right--y'all will have a great time!
 

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