Partners in Crime do Food and Wine! A PTR About This Page:

[MissFrizz]

It's been three years but it's official: I'm going back to Disney and I'm SO EXCITED! I've been taking a break from the boards because, honestly, I just get way too bummed when I don't have a trip planned and I read about other people's trips. Now, I'm way better at keep at PTR than I am at finishing a TR. In fact…I've never finished a TR. We'll see if that turns around this trip because, as always, I intend to really finish a TR this time! I know, I know, but hope springs eternal.

Let's get down the nitty gritty.

Who's Going?

Well, I am, obviously.

My name's Katherine and I'm a Disneyholic. I was a CM at my local Disney Store for a time a few years ago. I loved interacting with the guests and getting to infuse some Disney magic into people's days. Also, I went to school in Orlando (UCF. Go Knights!) during which time I spent a LOT of time at WDW. APs are expensive but I definitely got my money's worth. I finessed my schedule so I didn't have classes on Fridays- freeing up important Disney time.

Being able to take it as slow as you want because you can just come back next week is really nice but it's definitely different from the vacation experience. Mostly because…well, you aren't on vacation. It's wonderful to have a Disney respite so nearby for a moment away from your life, but you're still driving home at the end of the day. A Disney Vacation isn't better, it's just different. Certainly the excitement level can't compare.

I'm back living in my home state of North Carolina now. My mom and I took my grandmother to Disney in early October 2013 and I haven't been back since. For me, this is the longest I've ever gone between trips since my first visit in 2009 (talk about first world problems, right?). I'm not going to lie, 2013 was not my best Disney trip. I was sick and lost my voice for the majority of the trip. All the other gregarious Disney fans understand how much that sucks, I'm sure. Randomly chatting with total strangers is an integral part of the Disney experience! This was also the trip where I confirmed my incompatibility with my grandmother for extended periods of time. We are very different people and, while I will never regret taking her to Disney, I found it emotionally and mentally exhausting to spend that much intense time with her. I'm not meaning to whine. I'm just making the point that, for a number of reasons, I'm EXTRA excited about this upcoming trip.

And who's my partner in crime, you ask? Well, his name is Marq (yes, pronounced "Mark" but spelled with a "q") and he is a purple-haired weirdo, whom I adore. All of the best people are weirdos.

He's one of those family friends who's more family than friend, you know? He's basically like an uncle to me…or, more accurately, like a cousin who happens to be numerically older than I am. That "older" thing is a more a technicality than anything because Marq's inner child is often more outer than inner. Like me, he talks up a storm, and we can be a volatile mixture- especially when alcohol gets involved. Let's just say that the "wine" part of the "Food and Wine Festival" is likely to lead to some fun shenanigans.

By day, Marq works in the videogame industry and lives in his own version of the Animal Kingdom Lodge…well, kinda. His wife trains dogs professionally, primarily in herding. Some are working dogs that put their skills to use on clients' farms and some compete in trials. I swear, she can train a dog to do ANYTHING, though. Herding means you need a herd, of course! So they have lots of livestock: sheep, goats, ducks, a pig, a cow, the list goes on. A current member of their household is a bottle-fed lamb (named Mia Lamb, because she has coloration on her legs that looks like soccer shin guards ) that has taken a shine to Marq and likes to nibble on him while he's working from home.

We're renting an ECV for him for the week basically as a preventative measure to keep health stuff from flaring up due to the sheer amount of walking. Hopefully scooter usage will mean Disney fun without undue pain/fatigue. We rented an ECV for my grandmother on my last trip so, luckily, I already know a little bit about "scootering" the World. Primarily, that it's a good idea to practice parallel parking a bit for the buses. Queues shouldn't be a problem so we are probably just going to park the ECV at attractions and use the regular line. I tend to not wait in lines longer than 20 minutes anyway (you BET I use that TouringPlans.com subscription! )

This isn't Marq's first visit to WDW but he's never been for longer than a day before. I'm so excited to be with him for his first "Disney Vacation" experience.

NEXT QUESTION!

Why are we going?

To be blunt, Marq and I have both been having a crappy time lately. So far, 2016 really isn't my year. The details are unimportant in something as magical as a Disney PTR but rest assured, I could use a visit to my happy place. Things have actually started to generally look up since we started planning. Is it a Disney snowball effect? Anyway, we were chatting about Disney and I said (as I'm wont to do), "I miss Disney." It's a wistful proclamation I make with regularity because it's true. Marq said, "We should go to Disney in the fall." I laughed out loud at this because there is absolutely no way I could afford a Disney vacation right now. I informed him of this and he replied, "You know what…it's on me." I didn't believe him at first (would you?) but it turned out that he was totally serious.

Once I had been finally convinced of this I zipped off to draw up a few estimates. I'll admit, I still had some lingering doubts. Sometimes people who haven't done the Disney trip thing before are…um…surprised (read: horrified) by the cost. Between tickets, lodging, and food (not even counting airfare) Disney isn't a cheap vacation destination. So, it was with moderated expectations that I drew up estimates for a weeklong stay (the amount of time Marq wanted) at a value, a moderate, and a deluxe resort in the fall. I also decided to do an estimate for food. I've priced out meals at Disney so many times it's almost automatic now. Every time I feel the need to be CERTAIN that OOP is cheaper for than a DDP and every time it is by at least $100 (when you spend enough meals being more tempted by alcohol than dessert, a DDP is almost never the way to go). So, along with the ticket quote and room estimates, I proposed two meal plans: one where I basically had us eating wherever I wanted and a more moderate option.

This took a few hours, not that I noticed. I put my head down in the morning to do the Disney math and when I looked up it was afternoon. I sent Marq the numbers with a little trepidation…

And he said we should splurge!

I was thrilled, as you might imagine.

So, what does that entail?

Six nights in a Savanna-view room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge! We're also planning on going to MNSSHP, thoroughly enjoying the F+WF, and eating at a number of scrumptious places. More details on all that in a later post. We'll be checking in on Monday, October 24, 2016 and checking out on Sunday, October 30.

The next thing to ponder was: how are we getting there?

Marq and I debated this question a little bit. We considered both driving and flying- and then I had a brilliant idea. I don't know about you guys but an upcoming Disney trip always means reading Passporter trip reports for me. There are some I love so much that I even re-read them like a favorite novel. One of the TR writers I adore is Jillybean, who has taken the train to Disney, both solo and with family, on many of her trips. So, I pulled up the Amtrak website and plugged in our travel dates. I live in central NC, so it's about a 12-13ish hour train ride from here to Orlando. Driving takes around 10 hours if the traffic gods smile on you and you have a sturdy bladder. The flight is a little over 2 hours, direct. However, it turns out that taking the train maximizes our Disney time. Whuh?

Why? Well, flying means following the airline's schedule. The flights I was looking at has us arriving in Orlando in the afternoon and leaving in the morning. That's the OPPOSITE of what I want. So, we'd be arriving much more quickly but we would still have less time on property. The train, on the other hand, leaves around 9 PM the day BEFORE we check-in to our hotel. So the bulk of those travel hours are overnight (far earlier than we could safely do in a car). That would be torturous in a regular seat but I looked at roomette prices and it's (a little) cheaper for us to share a roomette than to fly (and actually, Marq sprung for the upgrade to an actual room. Which mostly means we get a private bathroom/shower). Trains aren't always precisely on schedule but we'll still be getting there in the morning and leaving in the evening. Having actual beds means we have a chance of (gasp!) ACTUALLY BEING WELL RESTED BEFORE A DISNEY TRIP. I know, crazy, right?

Mostly, though, we're taking the train because it's an adventure. We've joked about me wearing a 1940s getup with a hat and everything like a girl out of a Hitchcock movie. It's not a significant enough savings over flying to be "worth it" on a purely financial basis, but I think it's going to add a fun element. It actually seems fitting, too, to take a train to Disney because Walt loved trains.

Ok, that's probably enough of an info dump for the first post! Thanks for reading. I should be back relatively soon to talk about our plans in more detail.

[CinderAbby]

What a great start to your PTR. I do hope you come back and finish the whole thing.

I'm hoping the train has a better schedule than it use to because the last time my dad and brother took the train (too many years ago to count now) the train was something like 4 hours late and every time we went into the station to find out about it, we were told they didn't even know where the train was.

[Cam22]

Great start, Katherine! AKL is my favorite resort.

[Colexis Mom]

Great start!

[tcmary]

I love how your thought of a Disney trip became a reality. Your plans sound fantastic and I will be following along.

I hope the Disney snowball keeps getting bigger!!!

[wheezie]

Another central NC girl here. Almost literally in the middle of the state in fact.

I'm loving your PTR so far! Marq sounds like he's a lot of fun.

[MissFrizz]

Thanks everyone!

I hope the Disney snowball keeps getting bigger!!!

Me too!!

Another central NC girl here.

Awesome! I don't know why it's always so fun to know that there are Passporters nearby, but it is.

Sooo there was some...excitement today. I had used TouringPlans.com's Ticket Finder tool to find the best deal on tickets. They pointed me to Boardwalk Ticketing which does have CRAZY good discounts. Crazy enough to make me wary. However, I really trust the Touring Plans crew (I might be a Len Testa fangirl... ) so I went ahead and ordered from them.

The excitement? I ordered child tickets instead of adult ones.

I realized this the instant I completed the order. Everything on their site talked about no returns and, worse, no changes to tickets once they've been ordered. You've got to understand, I wasn't paying with my money. I had just spent over $700 of Marq's money on the WRONG TICKETS. I was freaking out. Actually, I had a panic attack (I have an anxiety disorder, so those happen). It was bad.

I immediately used to contact form on Boardwalk Ticketing's website and tried to call them. I didn't get through but I didn't expect to, either. It's the Saturday of a holiday weekend, after all.

I posted a plea for help and received the very sensible advice to call Disney. Obvious, I know, but I had kind of lost my head and not thought of this myself. I spent a long time on hold but, luckily, the helpful agent I reached assured me that I could upgrade the tickets at a booth on property. Yes, even though I purchased them from a third party. Yes, even though they were vouchers and not actual tickets.

I was super relieved but still bummed at my screw up. Upgrading at Disney would mean sacrificing savings from the third party vendor and, worse, you can't link child tickets to adult travelers on My Magic+. Which means no Fastpass+ reservations until the day we arrive.

So, I was thrilled when a message from Stephen of Boardwalk Ticketing showed up in my inbox. He said that he hadn't put the order through yet, so it could still be changed. He offered to give me a refund or to change the tickets for me. I gratefully accepted the offer to change them and so our savings are intact and our Fastpass+ future is secure!

Even though they're vouchers rather than tickets, they can be linked to MagicBands ahead of time instead of being exchanged for ticket media at the parks. It'll take a few days to get the required ticket number (I have the vouchers, but the number comes later, apparently) in order to link everything up, but that's fine, considering we're still over 100 days out.

Phew! So, that was the dramatic beginning to my Independence Day weekend. I hope everyone else is having a less exciting day! I'm working on the next update to the PTR. As always, it's pretty wordy because I'M pretty wordy. I figure that I'm not holding a gun to anybody's head, though, so I promise I won't be offended if you get bored and bail.

[MissFrizz]

If you were to ask my friends and family, they would tell you that I am an insane planner. By Disney planning standards, however, I'm not THAT bad. I like to plan ahead for a few reasons. You have to be willing to plan some in advance if you have your heart set on certain restaurants- and I always do. The advent of Fastpass+ has only increased the necessity. A big thing for me, though, is that planning ahead helps make sure that the highest priority things get done which majorly cuts down on the stress, for me. Anything else we do is gravy. I also don't like dealing with the question "what do we do now?" over and over on a trip. If the plans CHANGE, that's fine, but I want to start with an idea of something to do. WDW is massive and I feel like trying to experience it on the fly would be super overwhelming (for me anyway. It's probably lovely for people who, unlike me, have an ounce of chill. ).

I suppose all of that is just a disclaimer that I'm gonna talk about my plans and there are a LOT of them.

I have scared past Disney travel companions with my planning so I tried to approach it…delicately with Marq. Though, it's hard to soften "Most days we'll be leaving the room no later than 8:15 AM." I've found that telling my agape companions that they should be glad I'm not getting them up earlier to be...not super helpful. So, instead of talking about how I could be more of a park commando, I try to stress the benefits of arriving at the parks early: the lines are short, the crowds are less intense, it's cooler and gives you time to take a break in the afternoon when it's hot, and the Magic Kingdom has a positively magical welcome show that I MISSED last trip and GOSH DARN IT THAT'S NOT HAPPENING AGAIN.

*ahem* I digress.

Marq took this proposal (because I do try to phrase it like my cohorts actually have a choice in the matter ) extremely well. Basically, he said he trusted me to do the planning. Actually I believe he said something more like, "What's the point of bringing you if I don't get your planning and tour guide services?" Fine by me! I'm not TOTALLY selfish, though. I did talk with Marq to get an idea about types of attractions he likes, his favorite types of foods, and what is "magical" for him. For all I joke about being a "my way or the highway" Disney planner, I do actually want everyone to have a great time.

So, I was, essentially, given the green light to craft our vacation into the whatever work of art I envisioned (what, that's not how you see planning a Disney trip?) and I dove right in.

First things first: dates. All Marq had said was "fall" so I definitely had some free reign here. Originally I planned for us to be there over the first week of November. The November first MNSSHP has always been a favorite of mine. It's cheaper, the crowds are lighter, and you get more candy than you can shake a stick at. I threw that plan out when I discovered there is no November first party this year.

So, I backed our dates up a bit. I considered going all the way back to September, but that left me with less time to plan and snag ADRs than I was comfortable with. Going in October means no free dining plan this year but the room discount is actually going to be a better deal for us anyway. After checking out various crowd calendars, I finally settled on the last week of October. It should be a bit cooler and we'll get to experience both F+WF and MNSSHP. The only day that looked possibly problematic is Friday, October 28. The local kids have that day off school, so families tend to hit the parks. According to Touring Plans, it shouldn't impact crowds THAT much, but that's ended up working out as our best day for a rest day anyway.

According to the Touring Plans crowd calendar, overall crowds (on a 1-10 scale) look like this for our trip:
Mon. 10/24 - 5
Tue. 10/25 - 3
Wed. 10/26 - 4
Thur. 10/27 - 3
Fri. 10/28 - 5
Sat. 10/29 - 6
Sun. 10/30 - 4

Not bad, right?

Next up: hotel selection. This was kind of a no-brainer, to me. Animal Kingdom Lodge is the only deluxe resort I've ever stayed at. While I do adore it, that's not the sole reason I'm returning to it yet again. If I were going solo or with another Disney veteran, in fact, I would likely be staying elsewhere (Beach Club and Poly are both high on my wish list) but I cannot justify booking anywhere else for Marq's first trip. To me, AKL is the most magical resort on property. You get up in the morning and there are real, live African animals outside your balcony. If Marq weren't such an animal lover, maybe I'd prioritize this fact less, but he is.

I will also NEVER forget the first time I entered the lobby. It was our very first stop on my very first Disney trip. We drove up under the thatched overhang, took a few steps inside, and BAM, the lobby hit me all at once. I had seen pictures and even video but nothing compared to that first moment, taking it all in. The whole resort is gorgeous in that way. Throw in the amazing authentic touches- African artwork, cultural ambassadors, African drumming in the afternoon- AND the incredible dining options (Boma and Sanaa are two of my favorite on-property restaurants) and it more than makes up its flaws, for me anyway. The rooms are small but I've never felt cramped there. The resort is far away from things but I've always found the bus service prompt and efficient.

With both dates and resort selections made, we went ahead and put a deposit down for a 6 night/7 day stay at AKL- with a room discount!

Next Update: What parks we're visiting on what days and ADRs!

[CinderAbby]

suppose all of that is just a disclaimer that I'm gonna talk about my plans and there are a LOT of them.

You are not alone in this - don't believe me, check out my TR's

Though, it's hard to soften "Most days we'll be leaving the room no later than 8:15 AM." I've found that telling my agape companions that they should be glad I'm not getting them up earlier to be...not super helpful.

Here's something that can help you - let your friends know there are people worse than you . I expect my family up by 6:30 the latest and out of the room at 7:15. When my hubby complains, I just threaten to leave him in the room for the day and go without him. It works better than pointing out I could get him up earlier.

(because I do try to phrase it like my cohorts actually have a choice in the matter

I let my family have some choice - but only when it agrees with what I've said . Seriously though I do let them have some say - and if it's something I don't agree with, I try really, really hard to change their minds. Sometimes I've changed mine instead.

[Cam22]

So thankful you were able to get the tickets changed from kids to adults and keep that great discount! We ordered some recently and had to wait a few days for the actual numbers that link the vouchers to our Magic Bands, but it was really easy once the numbers came in.

I'm going to have to remember the November 1st MNSSHP if it ever happens again. I like the idea of cheaper and more candy. Animal Kingdom Lodge is my absolute favorite resort for the same reasons you've mentioned. Sanaa has become mine and Luke's only must do every single trip. Even when we went for only two days, we ate at Sanaa. it!

[Colexis Mom]

Congrats on the tickets and AKL!

[benchley]

Phew. What a relief about the tickets

[DMA]

I'm glad your ticket error was easy to correct!

[MissFrizz]

When it comes to budgeting time at the various parks and other activities and locales, I tend to look at the major priorities for the trip first. For this trip, here's an approximation of what is most important:

1. Visiting all the parks. It's been long enough since Marq was last in the World that most of it is going to be relatively new. In terms of planning, I'm basically treating this as a "first trip" for him. To me, that means hitting all four parks and seeing the crème de la crème in each.

2. A mix of top notch dining experiences. Marq hasn't experienced much of the amazing food WDW has to offer, but he knows it's there! More importantly, dining is a key part of any vacation in both of our minds. I used to think that the best dining experience would come from booking as many table service/signature meals as possible. I learned in early trips, however, that there are only so many table service meals a person can do before it gets overwhelming. I've found that even doing just one every day of a seven day trip starts to feel like too much. I'll talk more specifically about dining choices later on, but the general idea was to have a good mix of counter service, snacks, and table service with a focus on dining that is delicious and experiential. :yum:

3. Checking out the new stuff! With the exception of the Frozen attractions, the changes that have been made since my last visit in 2013 are of great interest to me. Although it's not confirmed yet, I'm hoping that the AK hours will be extended and that we'll get to experience the new nighttime entertainment. AK is my favorite park so fingers crossed! I'm also super excited to ride Seven Dwarves Mine Train and the new Soarin'.

3. Seasonal favorites. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is hands down amazing. The prices have gotten crazy (it's $91 each on the night we're going) but I still think it's worth it. I plan on going in costume (right now, I'm leaning toward a Haunted Mansion maid costume) and Marq may or may not do the same. Regardless, we'll be catching the parade and fireworks, gathering lots of candy, and, hopefully, seeing the Cadaver Dans (a favorite of mine). The Food and Wine Festival (as I'm sure you've gathered from the title of this PTR ) is also a must-see. This goes hand in hand with the whole "top notch dining experiences" thing.

4. Vacation at a sub-commando pace. This is actually a really difficult one for me. I ALWAYS plan to do more than is actually feasible. In an attempt to ensure that we enjoy our ENTIRE vacation, instead of burning out on day three, I've tried to include rest breaks, limit late nights, have optional sleep-in mornings, and I've scheduled an entire rest day out of the parks.

Taking these into consideration, I decided we would need at least one full and one partial day at MK, at least one full day each at EP and AK, and a half day at HS. With this info and a consultation of the Touring Plans crowd calendar in mind, I came up with the following general plan for the week (park times and crowd levels overall/at the specific park are in parentheses).

Mon 10/24: Arrival day
Afternoon: HS (9a-7p; Crowd Level: 5 Overall/4 at HS)
Evening: rest

Tue 10/25: MK (9a-7p; CL 3/2)

Wed 10/26: EP (9a-9p; CL 4/2)

Thur 10/27:
Morning: AK (9a-5p; CL 3/4) OR sleep-in
Afternoon: rest
Evening: MNSSHP (7p-12a; CL 3/3)

Fri 10/28: rest day
Evening: possibly visit Disney Springs

Sat 10/29: AK (EMH 8a, 9a-7p; CL 6/5)
Evening: AK, if hours get extended

Sun 10/30: Departure day
Morning: MK (9a-7p; CL 4/3)
Afternoon: EP (9a-9p; CL 4/4)

Thursday is the only day I have a rest scheduled, but resting is an option Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday afternoons as well. I didn't take maximum advantage of the Touring Plans recommended parks but I tend not to put TOO much stock in that anyway. They emphasize that using a touring plan is five times more important than choosing a less crowded park and my personal experience has backed that up. If it works, great, but I try not to twist myself up into too much of a knot when the max crowd level I'm looking at is a five.

I'm planning AK as a possibility for Thursday morning because it's my favorite park and there are lots of things there I'm happy to do more than once. However, if we decide to sleep-in instead, I'll still be getting all my AK must-sees done on Saturday. If I really need sleep, I don't want to feel like I'm missing out on my only chance to see some attractions. Another possibility is that we'll go to HS if we don't get everything done on arrival day (since we're taking the train, our arrival time is by no means set in stone. The result is that we might end up with several hours fewer in which to tour the park).

Next time: We hunt the wily ADR

[jandsdennis]

Signing in for the fun. We'll be there for the F&WF but from the 11-21 of October. Love the festival! Great food and drinks. Enjoy! One of our favorites is Sanaa also.