Mom + 16 year old daughter Trip 9/30 - 10/5

[MagicBandSuzanne]

Thanks to information gained from reading these boards and listening to 100's of podcasts about Disney World for months, I had an awesome trip with my 16 year old daughter. I'm sharing in hopes of helping others in return for how you all helped me through your posts.
Disney Resort: POP Century '90's building (requested online and my Magical Vacations agent called to check on it a week before check in)
Dining Plan: FREE dining (booked the trip in April) + upgraded the dining plan to change 1 of the quick service meals to a table service. My dining plan had this: 2 snacks per day per person + 1 quick service + 1 Table Service
Saturday 9/30 Check in day:
We checked in at POP Century at 3:30, settled into the room, changed clothes, and head to the Grand Floridian at 6:00. We had an ADR at 1900 Park Fare for 7:30.
At the Grand Floridian, we roamed around the Wedding Pavilion and took plenty of stunning photos. It was unlocked, so we went inside and took photos! Upon check-in at 1900 Park Fare, we were told that they were running 30 minutes behind. We roamed the Grand Floridian, visited a shop of bath supplies, and sat in the lobby to listen to a man play Disney tunes on the Grand Piano. Then the band started playing at 8:00. It was beautiful!
1900 Park Fare Review: At 8:10, we were seated at 1900 Park Fare. Interactions with the Stepmother and Step-sisters was excellent! They were in full character! Cinderella was sweet. Prince Charming looked like he was 12 years old. I asked Cinderella if Prince Charming had a brother. She said, "No. He's an only child. Try losing a shoe. Sometimes that will catch a man." Cinderella and Prince Charming danced to a song in the middle of the restaurant.
The food was decent. The pork was very dry. The beef was chewy, so my piece had been cooked too long. The side items were OK. There was a large selection of food. The fruit tart was a good dessert. The total was over $100 for two adult meals. (It counted as a table service credit for me; however, the dining plan does not cover gratuity. I paid 18% gratuity. I felt sorry for the waiter who had to keep dodging little girls in dresses and moms with cameras as he carried pitchers of tea and water.)
Sunday, October 1st: Magic Kingdom's 46th Anniversary and Epcot's 35th Anniversary
I got a Breakfast Platter as a Quick Service Credit from the POP Century food court. ($10.99 value). My daughter and I split it because it was so much food. We used our refillable mugs for coffee and a beverage. The meal comes with a drink, so I got a bottle of milk that we put in our room refrigerator to use another morning. **Always get a bottled drink with a quick service meal. Save it for later or take it into the park with you to save money there!
On the bus to Magic Kingdom from POP, we sat in front of a 70+ year old lady who wore a skin-tight shirt and NO BRA! Ugh! Public Service Announcement: Bouncy Bus rides and Bouncy rides at Magic Kingdom require a BRA! Please. For the love of all that is sacred, wear undergarments to cover, support, and even give a lift to your private parts.
Lunch: Pecos Bill's in Magic Kingdom. Beef Nachos plate for 1 Quick Service Credit. We shared it and loaded our tray with toppings from the bar. It came with a drink and I ordered a cup of free ice water. Plenty of food for the two of us!
Magic Kingdom filled up quickly and lines were long by 3:00. MNSSHP was scheduled for that evening, so lots of little kids in strollers and costumes were there. We left and went to Epcot. I knew it was MK's 46th birthday. I had NO idea that it was Epcot's 35th birthday. The park was full. We rode Spaceship Earth, had a Fast Pass for Soarin' (we LOVED the new version - especially France), and ate dinner at Askershus with an ADR. We rode Frozen at 8:45. There had been a 90 minute wait all day. At 8:45, there was a 15 minute wait. We were on the ride in less than 15 minutes. It was not what I expected and had some dark parts that seemed creepy.
Askershus Dinner Review:
We checked in and waited 25 minutes to be called to a table. Belle greeted us and took a photo as soon as we entered. Other princesses roaming the restaurant: Cinderella, Ariel, and Snow White. The meal begins with ordering your entree', then there is an all you care to eat salad / cheese bar. There were interesting cheeses to try along with a variety of salads. My entree' was Braised Beef with potatoes and carrots. The beef was SO tender and tasted divine! Dinner ended with a tray of desserts. The apple bread dessert was delicious! The only dessert on the tray that was not a favorite was the cream with a raspberry sauce on top. It was very plain. It looked like cottage cheese.
**Creepy man alert: This was during the Food and Wine Festival, but Askershus was filled with families and little girls in princess dresses. There was a table next to ours of two very intoxicated old men. Once of them was so intoxicated that he kept flirting with princesses and requesting to have his picture taken with them. The other friend, also intoxicated, but not 3 sheets in the wind, took the photos on his phone, but gave an apologetic look to each princess. The princesses were nicer than I would have been if that old man had wrapped his arm around my waist like he did their waists.
Our evening ended with Epcot's Anniversary Fireworks Spectacular and a cast member gave us an Epcot Anniversary button.
Fit Bit Miles for Day 1 in the parks: 13.6 miles walked

 

[MagicBandSuzanne]

Day 2: Hollywood Studios & Animal Kingdom 10/2
We started our day in Hollywood Studios, taking pictures at the Chinese Theatre and with Star Wars Characters at the Launch Bay. We made sure to get photos of the handprints and footprints in the cement. Audrey Hepburn, Robin Williams, and many others. We walked as close as we could to the new construction. A cast member with a broom spent time talking to us and telling us about the future Star Wars area and the Toy Story area. He was a sweet older man who was from Brooklyn New York. We were only in H.S. for photos, so we were the first ones on the bus to Animal Kingdom at 10:00.
Lion King Show: We had a fast pass, so we got to choose seats first. It was AWESOME! I had not seen it in years. It was better than I remembered! EVERYONE should see this show!
Safari: Fast pass at 2:45. Not the best time of day, but we did see plenty of animals. The elephants were beautiful as always. Since they've taken away the storyline about poachers, the bridge no longer rocks and there's not a sense of adventure to it. It's a must-see attraction, though.
Baby Tigers: 2 baby tigers have been born. They are still inside with their mother. The father was outside in the shade. They'll be allowed outside when they can swim. It will be another month or two. A cast member showed us a video on her iPad of the babies with their Mom. She was very proud that Disney has managed to breed these tigers. It is estimated that there are fewer than 500 of their kind in the world.
Expedition Everest: We rode it 5 times in one day. First time with a fast pass. The second time, we used the single rider line. We were loaded individually, so we didn't sit together, but we waited less than 10 minutes to get on the ride. They are determined to fill every seat every time the trains leave the station, so people who are traveling in 3's or 5's will have a single rider placed in the empty seat. We decided that I would board first so that when I got off, I could stand and wait on her. It turned out that we both rode the same train. Just a few seats apart.
Pandora, Flight of Avatar: AMAZING! Words cannot describe this ride! I was able to secure a Fast Pass for this ride just a week before our trip! I had watched it for months in hopes of getting a fast pass, but had not been able to get one. If you're looking for a Fast Pass for this, just keep checking!
Sautu'li Canteen: We used a Quick Service credit to get a bowl with beef, rice, and coleslaw. It was good and felt very healthy. I was impressed. My daughter and I shared it.
The last part of our day, we rode Expedition Everest 3 times in a row! It is AWESOME in the dark! There are definitely two speed settings for this ride. At 8:45, we boarded the trains for the last time. It shot out of the station faster than it had moved the other 4 times. When we got to the tall hill to take us up, we were moving SO fast that the train was halfway up the track before I heard the click and then the repeated clicks to pull us up the hill. When we dropped from the top, it went faster and was rougher than it had been the other 4 times that day. Definitely a ride for the thrill seekers in the dark and at the end of the day when they turn it to the faster setting.
Fit Bit Miles Tracked for Day 2 in the Parks: 11.3 miles

 

[MagicBandSuzanne]

Tuesday of our trip was spent with 2 ADR's and a trip to Disney Springs
O'Hana Breakfast:
We checked in on time and was told to get in line to take a photo with Stitch before being seated in the restaurant. 5 minutes after getting in line, our pager buzzed. I asked the Hostess at the station how long it would take to get to Stitch. She said 45 minutes from that point. I asked if we could by-pass the photo with Stitch to go to our table. She told us to go around the sitting area beside the line to see Stitch and see the cast member at the entry to the restaurant. We were seated within 10 minutes of our arrival because we bypassed Stitch. He does not enter the restaurant for photos, so you have to get in line if you want your photo with him. Otherwise, you can get seated and begin breakfast. Lilo, Mickey, and Pluto visited our table for breakfast.
The food was good. It was standard Disney breakfast. My daughter loved Lilo when she was little, so this was the reason we used an ADR / Table Service Credit on this meal.
Disney Springs:
Shopping and lunch at Disney Springs. We ate lunch at Blaze Pizza, used a Quick Service Credit ($9.95 +$3 drink = $12.95 value). You can choose your toppings of pizza. My daughter had ham and pineapple on her half. I had Italian sausage, mushroom, green peppers, and spinach on my half. It's thin crust and has 3 pieces on each side. It was enough to share. She got a fountain drink. I got free water.
Ghiradelli - for a snack credit, I got a waffle cone that was dipped in chocolate and LOADED with Butter Pecan ice cream. YUMMY! My daughter got a milkshake that does not count as a snack credit there.
Boma Dinner: We got dressed up and went to Animal Kingdom Lodge for an ADR at BOMA. We got there early and drove around to look. We went out the back doors of the lodge to take pictures outside where the scenery was unbelievable! I got a photo of my daughter with a giraffe eating from a tree in the background. Stunning!
The food was African inspired. We tried almost everything! The Oxtail soup and the Butternut Squash Soup were out of this world! The Zebra domes are a dessert everyone raves about. They are good. They taste a lot like Tiramisu. Our waiter was fantastic and hung out at our table to chat several times. I told him I hated the pink dessert. He smiled and said, "I didn't mention that dessert when I gave recommendations, now did I?" (big grin). We left there stuffed and happy that we had taken a day off from the parks.
***At 11:40 at night, while lying in my bed at POP Century, I decided to try one more time to get a dinner reservation for Be Our Guest. . . And I did it!! I secured one for 8:55 p.m. the next day. . .
Wednesday - Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Magic Kingdom until 1 a.m.
Be Our Guest Breakfast
This was an ADR I booked months ago for breakfast at BOG. 10:10 a.m. Breakfast counts as a Quick Service Credit ($24.00, so this is an EXCELLENT use of a Quick Service Credit!)
We both ordered the platter and roamed around taking photos inside.
The MK got too crowded for our comfort by 1:30, so I looked at the MDE app at wait times for rides in Epcot. That's when I discovered the lines at Epcot were SHORT! 15 minute wait for Soarin'! We hopped on the Monorail and rode to Epcot where we got a snack of grapes and cheese cubes ($6.65 value) with a snack credit in Sunshine Seasons. We ate it while standing in line for Soarin' which did not take long!
After Soarin', we rode Living with the Land. First and last time. I never have to do that again.
After walking around the world showcase, getting drenched in a downpour, taking a bus back to POP Century, changing clothes, sharing pizza and a salad at the POP food court, we got on a bus and headed back into Magic Kingdom. It was 5:30. Lines were shorter. That night was Extra Magic Hours, so we stayed in the park riding rides with almost no wait at all from 11:00 - 1:00 am.
Be Our Guest Dinner - We met The Beast!
I ordered the steak and it was DIVINE! It was cooked to order: Medium. It melted in my mouth. My daughter ordered the pasta with shrimps and scallops. It was heavenly! The couple beside us couldn't decide what to order, so we told them about our food. They ordered steak and we had a wonderful time chatting with them! They came all the way from IOWA! With the table service credit, the meal included a drink and a dessert each. My daughter had the strawberry cupcake. I had the triple chocolate cupcake. We were both so stuffed and so thrilled with our meal that we were on cloud nine after we left the castle.
The Beast was so handsome! It was so lovely to meet him! The room where we had ordered breakfast earlier that morning had been transformed into his study where he takes photos at dinner time.
**Tips for getting the BOG reservation for dinner!
1. Check the night before you want to go. People are supposed to cancel within 24 hours of their reservation so they won't be charged for a no-show. You might find a cancelation!
2. Click on "dinner" in the MDE app. When nothing shows up as being available for dinner, begin clicking on specific time slots, starting at 4:00. I clicked on 4:00, 4:30, 5:00, etc., until I clicked on 8:30. That is when the 8:55 reservation showed up. It had not shown up when I had only clicked on "dinner". (I heard this tip on a podcast and was so glad it worked when I tried it!) For whatever reason, the MDE does not always show all available times when you only click on "dinner".
Fit bit miles walked: 11.5 miles
This ended our magical 5 nights on the WDW property. We took pictures on the platform of the train station with the castle and main street in the background. We didn't say goodbye. We said, "See You Real Soon" in true Disney style.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

Great report !

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Great report. I'm planning a mother daughter trip for next year.